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U.S. To Collect Social Media Data on All Immigrants Entering Country

nytimes.com

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Re: U.S. To Collect Social Media Data on All Immigrants Entering Country

#161

Post by havetocharge »

watty wrote: post #128
knz wrote: post #122

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…

Maybe I'm being contrarian but how is this a big deal? I'd expect the government to be collecting all public information for its citizens and those visiting the country - why not? This isn't private info, it's publicly posted social media information, which is VERY easy to set to private if you wish. If they were collecting private info or browsing data, sure.

To me, the big deal is the extension of this profiling to naturalized citizens. The extension of the divide between the citizen classes based on an arbitrary factor, as a matter of national policy, is a negative development.

Re: U.S. To Collect Social Media Data on All Immigrants Entering Country

#162

Post by lazyant »

watty wrote: post #128
knz wrote: post #122

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…

Maybe I'm being contrarian but how is this a big deal? I'd expect the government to be collecting all public information for its citizens and those visiting the country - why not? This isn't private info, it's publicly posted social media information, which is VERY easy to set to private if you wish. If they were collecting private info or browsing data, sure.

"If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him." https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cardinal_Richelieu (disputed)

Re: U.S. To Collect Social Media Data on All Immigrants Entering Country

#163

Post by SonicSoul »

watty wrote: post #128
knz wrote: post #122

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…

Maybe I'm being contrarian but how is this a big deal? I'd expect the government to be collecting all public information for its citizens and those visiting the country - why not? This isn't private info, it's publicly posted social media information, which is VERY easy to set to private if you wish. If they were collecting private info or browsing data, sure.

the scary part is not the collection. it's the intention or end outcome of having that information. i.e. How likely are they to try to find something against you if you're tweeting against current admin. god knows what lists are created as a result of this.

and this can also easily lead to uncovering less public information about you. More data you have about a person easier it is to triangulate anonymized data about them.

Re: U.S. To Collect Social Media Data on All Immigrants Entering Country

#164

Post by gerbilly »

cr1895 wrote: post #28
sverige wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe 50 should be the upper bound. I'm in my fifties and have never had any sort of social media account. Many of my high school and college classmates are similarly situated. None of the major social media platforms were founded before I was in my mid-forties, which is why there was never any incentive to start any accounts. I enjoy getting older. It spares me a lot of drama.

>Maybe 50 should be the upper bound. I'm in my fifties and have never had any sort of social media account. Are you not posting here?

I haven't seen the feature where HN keeps a social graph of your HN 'friends' yet.

Re: U.S. To Collect Social Media Data on All Immigrants Entering Country

#165

Post by richmarr »

belorn wrote: post #55
musha68k wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“Don’t you really have no Facebook account, Sir?”

"I spend my working days looking into a computer screen. I prefer spending my free time talking to people face to face".

If true, then fine.

Otherwise this would be a recommendation to lie to customs/immigration officers... and I strongly recommend not doing that.

Re: U.S. To Collect Social Media Data on All Immigrants Entering Country

#166

Post by Chris2048 »

knz wrote: post #122

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…

You can play this game all day.

Nazi Germany asked its own citizens for papers in-country (e.g. train trips).

And you are right, context matters. Perhaps the existence of "sanctuary cities" in current day America is more relevant to yet-another-Nazi-Germany-comparison (TM).

> It's not much a leap to imagine..

But what are the facts? For example, is Snap-chat one such social media platform that will be check based on unverified accounts?

Re: U.S. To Collect Social Media Data on All Immigrants Entering Country

#167

Post by Chris2048 »

CamelCaseName wrote: post #4

Not to suggest that this is okay to do to immigrants, (legal ones at that!) but the next step is clear. If this works well and remains unopposed, the average citizen will be targeted next.

A slippery slope, you say?

Re: U.S. To Collect Social Media Data on All Immigrants Entering Country

#169

Post by havetocharge »

donohoe wrote: post #68

Citizens. This rule also applies to US citizens. Let that sink in for a moment. Also, if you know/follow/connected-with an immigrant or naturalized citizen on a social platform, then YOUR data could be covered in this dragnet.

The expansion of the divide between citizen classes. Welcome to the brave new world.

Re: U.S. To Collect Social Media Data on All Immigrants Entering Country

#170

Post by m3rc »

watty wrote: post #132
verytrivial wrote: post #31

My tentative, loosely held decision to not enter the US for any reason has become surprisingly easier to justify as time goes on.

Ah, yes - wouldn't want the American government to look at your public profile information which you voluntarily posted online.

Why don't you post links to every single social media account you own here? And then we can go through them all and see what we find, and then we'll store it for use later. Make sure you don't leave any out.
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