U.S. now can ask travelers for Facebook, Twitter handles • Hacker News Board

Re: U.S. now can ask travelers for Facebook, Twitter handles

#71

Post by jc_811 » Fri, Jun 02, 2017, 7:38 PM UTC

chrismcb wrote: post #69

jc_811 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

This is the most relevant answer (to me) in this thread, I see what you mean - I wasn't thinking that way and I'm glad you changed my mind.

When I originally posted I was working under the thought process of "My name is Mike Smith, my handle is @mike_smith (or something similar/easily searchable), so no big deal"

Considering the totally other side of "public" social media handles (ie, "my name's Mike Smith, but my handle is @xyz123, it's public as I want to get information to the public, but don't want my identity tied to it") - I definitely now see why this could potentially be a huge issue.

Thanks for the constructive explanation!

Re: U.S. now can ask travelers for Facebook, Twitter handles

#72

Post by masondixon » Fri, Jun 02, 2017, 8:45 PM UTC

Every headline on this story has been misleading.

When I read it I thought to myself - this is the first thing I really disagree with Trump on...but reading on:

> The supplemental questionnaire will only be given to “a fraction of 1% of the 13 or so million people who apply for a visa to visit the United States each year

Re: U.S. now can ask travelers for Facebook, Twitter handles

#73

Post by ankushnarula » Fri, Jun 02, 2017, 8:48 PM UTC

Just under the surface, this policy seems like a long play to reduce the global virality of radical online tendencies. While it might aid in US national security, it's a small part of a broader plan to transform national and global culture away from collaboration (horizontal growth) towards competition (vertical value). This is the essence of "Make America Great Again".

Re: U.S. now can ask travelers for Facebook, Twitter handles

#74

Post by epc » Sat, Jun 03, 2017, 12:26 AM UTC

Veratyr wrote: post #70

jc_811 wrote: post #19

I'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.

And if you're not a US Citizen/LPR you have no 1st amendment protection at the border. And if US ICE/CBP discover you haven't listed all accounts, that alone could be a disqualifying issue for entry.

Most US citizens will shrug this off and say no big deal, until the very small minority of them try to head to a country practicing reciprocal visa requirements.

Re: U.S. now can ask travelers for Facebook, Twitter handles

#75

Post by epc » Sat, Jun 03, 2017, 12:28 AM UTC

giobox wrote: post #9

mikeash wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For US citizens, they may hassle you a bit but they have to let you in. For non-citizens, any refusal to cooperate will likely result in being refused entry and immediate deportation back to wherever they came from.

Does this actually apply to US citizens at all? All the reporting I've read suggests this is solely visa applicants, which of course will never include US citizens.

This US policy doesn't apply to US citizens, but there is nothing to prevent non-US countries from reciprocating and requiring social media accounts from US citizens as part of their visa processes.