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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

#171

Post by lopmotr »

dragonwriter wrote: post #106
hacknat wrote: post #98

I’ve gone through the naturalization process myself, and it’s already offensively invasive, this doesn’t seem out of step with what they already do.

Visa applications are a far broader class than people going through the naturalization process, and, while there may be an argument that the naturalization process is excessively invasive, an application for citizenship does justify more depth of scrutiny than a visa application.

Then why is there zero scrutiny on babies born into citizenship? Countries always manage to excuse their own people even when they're a disproportionately high cause of crime.

Re: U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants

#172

Post by lawnchair_larry »

aero142 wrote: post #84
Idontagree wrote: post #66

Doesn't some other countries already do this? I was asked about my LinkedIn for a work visa in Canada.

Canada is very aggressive about searching for "hate speech" at the border. This includes mandating that you turn over your phone and searching through your texts, emails and any linked accounts for keywords. This is personal experience.

I saw this on their border security reality TV show, but neither I, nor anyone I know, has ever had their phone searched visiting Canada. I've been curious how often they do it. What were your circumstances?

If that show is to be believed, they aren't looking for hate speech. They are looking for the person who says they are just visiting, and then has all kinds of text messages about when they start their new job, or how they are looking forward to moving there.

Re: U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants

#174

Post by bambax »

ajeet_dhaliwal wrote: post #6

When the United States does something like this others start doing it too, sometimes seemingly just to reciprocate or spite. The US contributes so much to the world with respect to tech, business, culture and science but it’s also an exporter of increasing bureaucracy.

> bureaucracy

I wouldn't call it bureaucracy, but I don't know of a proper, better name. Hysteria maybe. Not sure.

Re: U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants

#175

Post by opportune »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #152
Someone1234 wrote: post #24

People I've spoken to seem more comfortable acting like this is part of the current administration's agenda, rather than an encroaching trend which has been gradually getting worse year upon year. For example this specific policy was added as an "optional" (not really) question on an entry form before the 2016 presidential elections (I know, I wrote a letter protesting it during public comment period). My point is: B…

One nice thing about having a President with 50%+ disapproval [1] is all the things that got swept under the rug, previously, can now be made alarming. This might be an unintended way the system clears detritus and scope creep. [1] https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/...

Conversely, it makes running an opposition campaign so easy that the opposition won't need to focus on the big issues. The opposition could focus on morality and pay lip-service to neoliberal diversity theatre while simultaneously selling out to corporate interests.

If you're running against Trump in an election, what's the point of drawing the ire of industry (pharma, insurance, military, surveillance, general big-corp) when you can focus on orthogonal issues? You could get more funding by ignoring them and focusing on mostly-irrelevant wedge issues such as abortion (never going anywhere), "decorum", etc. Personally if Trump loses the next election I think we're going to get the biggest corporate-bootlicker democrat we've ever seen

Re: U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants

#176

Post by [deleted] »

swebs wrote: post #95
huhtenberg wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not just immigrants, but all visitors.

Nah, citizens of most first world countries don't need a visa to enter the US if they're visiting for less than 90 days. This includes western Europe, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Baltic countries, etc. You can just get on a plane and fly over. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Waiver_Program#/media/Fil...

[deleted]

Re: U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants

#177

Post by blegbleg »

scottybowl wrote: post #62
dmode wrote: post #32

Trump administration has been increasingly hostile to legal immigrants, so this doesn’t surprise me one bit. Everyday there is a new policy change in USCIS designed to screw immigrants, whose only crime is working on high paid jobs. I am on the verge of losing my work permit after having lived here for 12 years and working in high tech jobs in leading companies.

Why do you deserve a job over a resident with equal skills?

After living in a country for 12 years, you legally are a resident. Additionally he is obviously a highly skilled worker considering he works for leading tech companies, therefore you cannot consider him an average Joe bricklayer who can be compared with others as he is in a percentile that is in demand (there is a shortage of these people).

Two people are hardly ever equal when it comes to applying for a job, its not just about skills, its about the people, its about the experiences they have had. I would always employ a person with more life experience than not, and traveling, learning a new language, a new culture is apart of that. It takes bravery, courage and stamina to uproot your life and move to a new country and these are all respectable traits. So respectable in fact, that the fear of these people by society is blatantly evident.

You forget that we are all citizens of the world, and people move around for many different reasons. Just because you are happy to stay in your cultural bubble doesn't mean other people are. And if these people are skilled and can contribute to the economy, even better.

Re: U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants

#178

Post by mulmen »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #152
Someone1234 wrote: post #24

People I've spoken to seem more comfortable acting like this is part of the current administration's agenda, rather than an encroaching trend which has been gradually getting worse year upon year. For example this specific policy was added as an "optional" (not really) question on an entry form before the 2016 presidential elections (I know, I wrote a letter protesting it during public comment period). My point is: B…

One nice thing about having a President with 50%+ disapproval [1] is all the things that got swept under the rug, previously, can now be made alarming. This might be an unintended way the system clears detritus and scope creep. [1] https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/...

I think it is more likely that this is a test of our system of checks and balances but should be viewed a lot like traction control saving your life after losing control on an icy mountain pass.

This is simply a wakeup call. A democracy is not a forest, it is a garden. We should not rely on forest fires to shape our society, we should tend it carefully at all times.

Re: U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants

#179

Post by bambax »

Someone1234 wrote: post #24

People I've spoken to seem more comfortable acting like this is part of the current administration's agenda, rather than an encroaching trend which has been gradually getting worse year upon year. For example this specific policy was added as an "optional" (not really) question on an entry form before the 2016 presidential elections (I know, I wrote a letter protesting it during public comment period). My point is: B…

Yes, it's not Trump, it's the US. I will probably never visit that country again, and I don't much care; but, I'm kind of sad for my kids.

That said, the world is a big place. Let's hope not every other country does the same.

Re: U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants

#180

Post by dragonwriter »

lopmotr wrote: post #171
dragonwriter wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Visa applications are a far broader class than people going through the naturalization process, and, while there may be an argument that the naturalization process is excessively invasive, an application for citizenship does justify more depth of scrutiny than a visa application.

Then why is there zero scrutiny on babies born into citizenship? Countries always manage to excuse their own people even when they're a disproportionately high cause of crime.

> Countries always manage to excuse their own people

Countries are abstraction. “Their own people” are the concrete components making up the country, and, in even in the theoretical ideal, the people all of their policies serve.

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