More important: what happens when someone refuses to tell or claim not to have one?
Then you don't get a VISA. Pretty simple.
Simplistic answer to complex issues. The trademark right-winger approach.
U.S. now can ask travelers for Facebook, Twitter handles
61–70 of 75 posts
Re: U.S. now can ask travelers for Facebook, Twitter handles
#62Previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14465534
Re: U.S. now can ask travelers for Facebook, Twitter handles
#63I'm all for privacy and the government not overstepping their bounds, but could someone please let me know why this is so bad? I'm genuinely curious. Your social media info is Public. If you have information public, that is your own fault and the govt can access that regardless if you give them your handles or not. If they were asking for passwords and access to accounts - of course that would be a different ball gam…
So, why do you use jc_811 and not "Matt Smith" or whatever? Isn't it all public?
Re: U.S. now can ask travelers for Facebook, Twitter handles
#64Do people who travel to other countries REALLY have the gall to post something threatening to the country they are traveling too?
Let me correct this, the idea of forcing checks is a horrible idea mostly because it only hurts the people that have done nothing, and is a massive invasion of privacy
Re: U.S. now can ask travelers for Facebook, Twitter handles
#65Do people who travel to other countries REALLY have the gall to post something threatening to the country they are traveling too?
I don't think this is what concerns most people at all - a bigger concern is how broadly defined whatever measure they use for "anti-American" social media posts is. There's no shortage of harmless anti-Trump social media posting throughout the world - how long before we read a press story covering someone who tweeted a tame criticism of the president being denied entry? Twelve months ago I'd have found the idea hard…
I absoultely agree that this is a horrible ivasion of privacy and that thinking of this happening sounded crazy months ago, yet now i wouldnt be surprised, my appologies if my tone was off in the original comment, the point i was making is that this is only going to hurt the people who have done no actual harm
Re: U.S. now can ask travelers for Facebook, Twitter handles
#66Do people who travel to other countries REALLY have the gall to post something threatening to the country they are traveling too?
No, but US customs rejects people all the time for shit like... you admit to smoking weed once 15 years ago. There's all sorts of "harmless" things that could be on your Facebook profile that could get you rejected.
I agree, and thats horroble, the idea of this requierment is only going to hurt the people that have done nothing wrong is the badly worded point I was trying to make
Re: U.S. now can ask travelers for Facebook, Twitter handles
#67Do people who travel to other countries REALLY have the gall to post something threatening to the country they are traveling too?
Define "threatening". It's a slippery slope. Yeah, maybe "Allahu Akbar death to America" is an obvious one, but what about "Fuck Trump for pulling out of the Paris climate accord" - is that "anti-American"?
I agree, thats why this is a horrible way to check intent as its purely subjective 90% of the time, this is really only going to hurt the people that have done nothing wrong
Re: U.S. now can ask travelers for Facebook, Twitter handles
#68Do people who travel to other countries REALLY have the gall to post something threatening to the country they are traveling too?
Define "threatening". It's a slippery slope. Yeah, maybe "Allahu Akbar death to America" is an obvious one, but what about "Fuck Trump for pulling out of the Paris climate accord" - is that "anti-American"?
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Re: U.S. now can ask travelers for Facebook, Twitter handles
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think the ability to lie to government agents is a good argument against a law that allows them to ask for that information. At best it gets you enhanced scrutiny, at worst you go to jail.
Right, I see your point. But I'm saying - they are asking for public information that ANYONE can search for. When you enter the country obviously they have to ask certain questions (or get info from your passport, ie name, DOB, country of origin, etc) - but I feel people get extra worked up for social media simply because it's digital. If you have public information out there I have no problem with anyone asking for…
Sure anyone can search for jc_811. I don't get a lot of useful data. It I can search for Joe Conner, but that isn't going to get me to jc_811s posts. Just because something is public information didn't mean YOU have to provide it
Re: U.S. now can ask travelers for Facebook, Twitter handles
#70I'm all for privacy and the government not overstepping their bounds, but could someone please let me know why this is so bad? I'm genuinely curious. Your social media info is Public. If you have information public, that is your own fault and the govt can access that regardless if you give them your handles or not. If they were asking for passwords and access to accounts - of course that would be a different ball gam…
> Your social media info is Public.
Information posted on say Twitter may be public but the link between me as a person and my Twitter account is not.
If I run a satirical Donald Trump Twitter account, I certainly don't want it on my visa application, even if the tweets I post are public.