US government starts asking foreign travelers to disclose their social media accounts

The US Customs and Border Protection has started demanding that foreign travelers hand over Facebook, Twitter, and other social media account information upon entering the country, according to a report from Politico. The new policy follows a proposal laid out back in June and applies only to those travelers who enter the US temporarily without a visa through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA, process. The goal, the government says, is to “identify potential threats,” a spokesperson tells Politico.

US government starts asking foreign travelers to disclose their social media accounts

Ah, the perils of technology, in this case, you may be damned if you do or damned if you don't have a social media presence. What's this going to turn into for people who are not terrorists or terrorism suspects who do not use and or have a social media account or accounts? Seems like they may become more of a suspect.

Thoughts?

Not familiar with this system at all, the Electronic Entry thing. Is there a chance those applying areally already identified and this is a trap, so to speak?

I don't have a problem with this effort at all, except that it'd be too easy to lie about.

a reply to: dreamingawake

Don't believe it for a minute, but if true, just don't go there!

Better info now, you don't need to answer the online application prompt it seems,

The request functions as a prompt on the online Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or Esta, a visa waiver application that many visitors are required to submit before travelling to the US. The choices include platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, and additional space for applicants to input their account names on those sites.


US border control could start asking for your social media accounts

The Customs and Border Protection, which began the program last week, has previously said it wouldn’t prohibit entry to foreigners who didn’t provide their social media account information.

The government has faced a barrage of criticism since it first floated the idea last summer. Privacy rights activists say there are few guidelines about how the information, once obtained, is used or shared with other agencies.

www.theguardian.com...

Same applies as far as I'm concerned.


Quote Crash Course

a reply to: dreamingawake

Thoughts?

Thoughts? At first I thought this was completely stupid because anyone can easily lie.

However... I suppose this could be used as a tool because if someone does qualify as a "suspicious" person after entering... and after a cursory review it becomes apparent that they lied... then perhaps Uncle Sam can kick them out... or detain them... or worse.

Another point to make would be: Terrorism suspects may hide an account connected to their ties to terrorism. That or make certain messages private. See here:

Published December 15, 2015 FoxNews.com Facebook Twitter Email Print Now Playing Could attack have been prevented by going on Facebook? San Bernardino terrorist Tashfeen Malik sent at least two private Facebook messages to a group of friends in Pakistan months before she arrived in the U.S., pledging her support for Islamic jihad and expressing hope she could someday join the fight against the West, according to a published report.

The Los Angeles Times, citing two federal law enforcement officials, reported that one of the messages was sent in 2012 and the other in 2014. The paper's report added that the messages were written in Urdu, Pakistan's official language, and sent only to "a small group of her friends."

Source

With that one might assume passwords will be asked for as well, similar to how mangers were asking job applicants for them(one source)

a government official confirmed Thursday

I remember a couple years ago there was a case where a young English couple (21-24) were refused entry into the states because of an FB post where the girl said "America in 2 weeks, were gonna blow it up!!!"
Apparently in their slang that meant have a good time, the border security guys didnt think so and they were sent back home.

Being well aware that FB will follow me around Ive been quite careful and dont use it for random thoughts or musings and I dont do twitter or any of that other stuff.
This is really the only site I contribute to on the net and if they check out my stuff on here I dont like my chances of getting in at all HAHAHA

It's becoming a sad state of affairs. Lot's going on, i hope it doesnt go south.

Does ATS count.?

I don't have Facebook anymore. I don' t use Twitter, or any of the the others. So it is just ATS and my email.

So either I am out of luck or they are. But I would be happy to know in advance so I could save my hard earned digital dollars.

originally posted by: NightSkyeB4Dawn
Does ATS count.?

I don't have Facebook anymore. I don' t use Twitter, or any of the the others. So it is just ATS and my email.

So either I am out of luck or they are. But I would be happy to know in advance so I could save my hard earned digital dollars.

Since the "fake news" lists that have been going around termed ATS as news, I'm not thinking this site will be on a list of social media. At least for now anyway as this develops.

originally posted by: Tempter
Not familiar with this system at all, the Electronic Entry thing. Is there a chance those applying areally already identified and this is a trap, so to speak?

I don't have a problem with this effort at all, except that it'd be too easy to lie about.

People will create fake Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn accounts, and populate it with "favorable info", and only hand over that to the authorities. Since the user is in full control of this info, that's inevitable.

Then they'll use anonymous and fake names to create their "real" social media accounts, and only their true friends will know their real identities.

Every-time we try to control something, somebody will find a work around.

Travel to the USA for a non citizen is a privilege not a right.

So the USA can impose what it wants!

a reply to: dreamingawake

I figured out a couple years ago that it's just good practice to have social media accounts. If you don't have them, you should create them even if you don't use them. That way no one else can take your name, because at some point it's going to be tied to your identity. Additionally, a lot of people use them for background checks. Not having one these days is a red flag, it appears abnormal. If you don't want to avoid triggering authorities or nosy neighbors, it's best to have a profile that you fill with random mundane crap that blends in with everyone else.

a reply to: dreamingawake


Paranoia is a sad thing to watch.

a reply to: dreamingawake

Forums are dying off, I wouldn't count them as social media.

originally posted by: Aazadan
a reply to: dreamingawake

I figured out a couple years ago that it's just good practice to have social media accounts. If you don't have them, you should create them even if you don't use them. That way no one else can take your name, because at some point it's

Wrong Sony Twitter was just taken a day ago, nobody's account is sacred.

originally posted by: AMPTAH

People will create fake Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn accounts, and populate it with "favorable info", and only hand over that to the authorities. Since the user is in full control of this info, that's inevitable.

This. It's like being in the military and having one set of stuff for inspection and the other one you actually use, but hide.

Everyone I know that's in the community now has really vanilla namby-pamby social accounts under their real names, so you can turn in your social media accounts for review time. If you didn't have any at all, they'd be suspicious.

originally posted by: crazyewok
Travel to the USA for a non citizen is a privilege not a right.

So the USA can impose what it wants!

Even travel to the USA for a citizen is a privilege, not a right.

Once you are outside the USA, it is your obligation to "prove" you have the right to enter.

Currently, this law/policy has been updated, and now it applies even "within the USA".

If you are within 100 miles of the border of the United States, even though you're inside the USA, you can be required to "prove" that you have the right to be there, whether you're a "citizen" or not.

The citizen no longer has any special rights to say to the immigration agents that "I'm in the USA, so I don't have to show you my citizenship documentation."

Also, anyone "citizen" or not, can be detained, and held without trial or explanation, for an "indefinite" period of time.

So, the "citizen" effectively has no longer any more rights than the "non-citizen."

They are treated exactly the same, in many practical circumstances.

This is a fantastic policy and is long over-due.

If you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to fear. Why would anyone want people with anything to hide in our country?

a reply to: Aazadan

Not having one these days is a red flag, it appears abnormal.

Then it will add up if anyone wants to check up on me. I am one big red flag, accepted by everyone that knows me as abnormal.