121–130 of 253 posts
We need to stop expecting social media platforms to respect our privacy. They don't. They won't. What you post on Facebook and Twitter is as good as public domain.
You really shouldn't be surprised to find something that you had posted in either a government file or a newspaper headline.
I have nothing to hide, despise terrorism and the fanatics that commit it, and wish no harm on others with different social, political, or religious views. But I'm familiar enough with history to know how badly this can end. "Papers please" had consequences, especially for groups targeted for political reasons.
Just last night I was browsing Wikipedia articles on various Presidential/political assassinations after watching an episode of the PBS Vietnam War documentary that is currently being aired. Earlier this week I tried to sign up for Snapchat and discovered an active account based out of Saudi Arabia that someone had set up using my email address (via an unverified email address I assume - thanks SnapChat). I can't read arabic so have no idea what was being shared on that platform from "my" account but based upon the images it looked critical of America.
It's not much of a leap to imagine being accused of various things based upon your browsing history or social media, especially if actions like this (http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/08/15/543782396/...) become more common.
The rational part of my brain keeps screaming "This is America, it can't happen here, especially if you have nothing to hide" but I also find it difficult to ignore the historical and current warning signs.
Uh... isn't that the entire point of a background check? To see if people are dangerous before they get in? If I get a gun permit, should the cops not look at every public aspect of my history? Should we make it easier for people to have guns? Now the next snarky comment will say "guns aren't people." Yeah. But a background check is a background check. What happens when a terrorist gets in (surely that'll never happe…
Social media accounts aren't "public history". They're probably the single most private sphere for many people. If you got to read all my private messages on Facebook, you'd know me better than my parent and my girlfriends together. And a "background check" isn't a "background check". It's a completely vague concept, from some prospective employer calling one or two references all the way to the 8-months process of o…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, I used to visit a lot for business, and would love to go back on holiday too, but at this rate I'm not sure I want to. So far it's mostly been that I don't really have a compelling reason to visit, and it's just been tipping the scales in favor of other vacation locations etc., but the more stuff like this, the less attractive it gets. It doesn't even need to affect me directly - it just contributes to an overal…
The majority of people in the US disagree with everything going on right now and we welcome everyone. We will right the ship in the next 2-3 years.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, I used to visit a lot for business, and would love to go back on holiday too, but at this rate I'm not sure I want to. So far it's mostly been that I don't really have a compelling reason to visit, and it's just been tipping the scales in favor of other vacation locations etc., but the more stuff like this, the less attractive it gets. It doesn't even need to affect me directly - it just contributes to an overal…
The majority of people in the US disagree with everything going on right now and we welcome everyone. We will right the ship in the next 2-3 years.
For any Americans thinking 'well, at least this doesn't affect me as a natural born citizen', you should be aware that one of the most common principles applied to visa and passport control activity by countries is 'reciprocity'. That is, countries look at how the US treats their citizens at the American port of entry, and turn around and apply that same standard to Americans. So the next time you turn up at the Cana…
As a permanent resident with a pending citizenship application (who came on the visa mentioned at the end of this article), I find this incredibly alarming. I have nothing to hide, despise terrorism and the fanatics that commit it, and wish no harm on others with different social, political, or religious views. But I'm familiar enough with history to know how badly this can end. "Papers please" had consequences, espe…
If they were collecting private info or browsing data, sure.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The law is obviously offensively bad, and I do not support (dual citizen to the US), but I think the bigger problem here is any country can do this now -- and any of them that can get away with doing this will do it. The real solution is get the fuck off facebook.
By this logic, when this administration starts discriminating people who are into programming ("they cause cyber terrorism," might be the excuse) we shall all "get the fuck off programming"?
It feels different to me than "programming". But, I wouldn't be surprised if they checked my Github account or something... And if I don't want them to see my Github account, then yeah maybe I shouldn't have a public Github account.
As much as I’ve always loved to come to the US and as fascinating as some US conferences are (e.g. StrangeLoop might be my personal fav) – no international attendee or speaker can be expected to put up with this ever expanding amount of bullshit anymore. If the science community or “our industry” really want to encourage and unlock the magic of diversity we need new venues for a whole lot of conferences either in Can…
Australia is nice this time of year. Why not send a conference or two down under? Smart, well educated individuals, all motivated by the perpetual drive for international relevance and the existential dread of possibly being taken by the wildlife at any moment.