What if you don't have any social media accounts? Are they just going to assume anyone who says they don't is lying or trying to hide something?
Seems like a dumb policy to require details on a purely voluntary activity.
U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants
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Re: U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants
#12What if you don't have any social media accounts? Are they just going to assume anyone who says they don't is lying or trying to hide something? Seems like a dumb policy to require details on a purely voluntary activity.
If the companies had their way, it would be illegal to not have a social media account and not participate actively.
Re: U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants
#13Pretty absurd that they're asking for all of this and:
> [...] In addition to their social media histories, visa applicants will be asked for five years of previously used telephone numbers, email addresses, international travel and deportation status, as well as whether any family members have been involved in terrorist activities.
I know a number of people going through, or have been through, the US visa process and surely if this is required, applicants are going to drop.
Furthermore, if you submit that you don't have a social media account are they going to assume you're a liar? Are applicants just going to create new "real" accounts just to avoid looking suspicious?
Re: U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants
#14Pretty absurd that they're asking for all of this and: > [...] In addition to their social media histories, visa applicants will be asked for five years of previously used telephone numbers, email addresses, international travel and deportation status, as well as whether any family members have been involved in terrorist activities. I know a number of people going through, or have been through, the US visa process an…
You don't have to be all that cynical to think that the whole idea is to get people to drop their applications.
Re: U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants
#15>The department estimates it would affect 710,000 immigrant visa applicants and 14 million non-immigrant visa applicants, including those who want to come to the U.S. for business or education, according to the documents.
this will hurt business. this will hurt american companies. this will hurt the country.
this will not catch any terrorists. this will not catch any serious drug traffickers. this will not be socially useful.
i can't make it any more clear.
the more this country outwardly projects "we're a police state, and people from other countries are unwelcome" the more isolated we will become and the more backward our peers will find us to be, and rightly so.
Re: U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants
#16Pretty absurd that they're asking for all of this and: > [...] In addition to their social media histories, visa applicants will be asked for five years of previously used telephone numbers, email addresses, international travel and deportation status, as well as whether any family members have been involved in terrorist activities. I know a number of people going through, or have been through, the US visa process an…
>I know a number of people going through, or have been through, the US visa process and surely if this is required, applicants are going to drop.
That's the point that the administration wants to push.
Re: U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants
#17If you apply for ESTA, there is already a field for your social media handles, marked "OPTIONAL".
Re: U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants
#18I'm curious of what the lobbying arms of major social media companies like Facebook and Twitter think of this. Are they using their considerable resources to try and push back against this? They can't possibly benefit from this deeper reach of the government's spying eyes.
That's where the next billion Twitter and Facebook users will come from: forced participation tied to government services and benefits. You can easily imagine a dystopia where a FB account is required to collect Social Security or Medicare benefits.
And alt user ids tuned specifically for this purpose!
Re: U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants
#19[deleted]
Re: U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants
#20the effort to make the US even more unappealing to immigrants marches on...
Not just immigrants, but all visitors.