U.S. To Seek Social Media Details from All Visa Applicants • Hacker News Board

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

#261

Post by downandout » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 1:21 AM UTC

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/...

Isn't it always the case that the President has "disapproval" ratings around 50% though? Half the country tends to like the person they voted for, and half the country has sour grapes because their side lost. Obama's disapproval ratings also hovered above 50% at several points in his Presidency [1].

So it isn't Trump's "disapproval" ratings that are new for any President, it's the level of hatred that the press has for Trump that is new and allows for their spin on everything he does to "...be made alarming" as you put it. Look no further than HuffPo for your ridiculous daily press alarm. Obama was right in the same range in terms of disapproval, you just heard less about it because he was very popular among the types of people that tend to become reporters.

[1] http://news.gallup.com/poll/116479/barack-obama-presidential...

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

#262

Post by bsder » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 1:24 AM UTC

ameister14 wrote: post #144

TheCoelacanth wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Democrats at least have a large faction who are willing to complain about things like drone strikes and mass surveillance even when it is their guy doing it. Unfortunately that faction isn't yet large enough to get Democratic politicians to stop doing that kind of thing, but there is some hope that if that faction consistently shows up in primaries for a while they might eventually be able to get some change. Republi…

I seem to remember a solo republican filibustering about drone strikes, continuing to do so about FISA and also fighting the appointment of a CIA Director that not only found torture acceptable but ran a black site. Ron Wyden's the only Democrat that's been there every step of the way.

Rand Paul only cared about drone strikes on US soil. And he got attacked about THAT.

However, the fact that he even broached the subject at all got applause from me even though I can't stand the rest of his positions.

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

#263

Post by incompatible » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 1:28 AM UTC

paulgb wrote: post #42

ineedtosleep wrote: post #13

Pretty 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…

A more hidden effect of this is the chilling effect of this on what would-be immigrants post on social media. E.g. should I remove a photo from the Women's March because it was seen by some as a protest against the current administration?

It's not just would-be immigrants either. The same kind of social media checks are being used in some places for tenancy applications. Hand over your social media login details to some third party who gives a report to the landlord.

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

#264

Post by TheCoelacanth » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 1:31 AM UTC

ameister14 wrote: post #144

TheCoelacanth wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Democrats at least have a large faction who are willing to complain about things like drone strikes and mass surveillance even when it is their guy doing it. Unfortunately that faction isn't yet large enough to get Democratic politicians to stop doing that kind of thing, but there is some hope that if that faction consistently shows up in primaries for a while they might eventually be able to get some change. Republi…

I seem to remember a solo republican filibustering about drone strikes, continuing to do so about FISA and also fighting the appointment of a CIA Director that not only found torture acceptable but ran a black site. Ron Wyden's the only Democrat that's been there every step of the way.

I was referring to Democratic voters. I acknowledged that the politicians aren't doing anything to stop it.

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

#265

Post by downandout » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 1:44 AM UTC

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…

These questions are almost impossible for some of us to answer completely. I own entire domains of email addresses and make them up on the fly, I've also thrown away dozens of "social media" accounts in the last five years for trivial reasons.

That's why this initiative in nonsensical. They'll never know whether the answers to these questions are complete and accurate. I'm pretty sure that later tonight, a new paragraph will go into the ISIS handbook saying "create a Facebook account in your real name that you can give to the authorities, that has nothing on it except for pro-American content". That would actually be good advice for all prospective travelers to the US. Lock down your real profile before your trip so that it can't be searched for, and maintain a separate, public, very vanilla profile that you can give to them. That's all it would take for most people to go through with no issues.

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

#266

Post by bpye » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 1:47 AM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #253

xvf22 wrote: post #29

While Canada is excluded (so far) I'm just not comfortable going down to the US anymore and supporting this nonsense in any way. I wonder if it'll ever get bad enough where this information must be provided before an overflight.

Do you realize that alternate airports for many Canadian airports are US airports and that you could be forced to go through immigration if your plane ends up at an alternate?

What would happen if you refused to provide any details to US immigration at that point..?

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

#267

Post by bassman9000 » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 1:59 AM UTC

sanderjd wrote: post #243

bassman9000 wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

can now be made alarming This is wrong in so many levels, and explains exactly how we got here. You're judging the issue not by its own weight, but by who is going to deal with it, or not.

A counterargument: our system (in the US) is representative . That is, we elect individuals who are empowered to represent us as they see fit. This is subtly different than electing delegates who we expect to carry out our will indirectly. In a representative system, the "who" is, and is intended to be, important.

This is the case for most Western democracies, and doesn't make the US different. Difference would be the separation of Electoral Congress and Congress, which doesn't happen in other democracies, where Representatives are also electors.

In any case, I don't think it's a counter, nor related to the comment. We're magnifying some issues because Trump, when the fact is that it shouldn't matter who's President in order to assess its importance.

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

#268

Post by conkerspoon » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 2:00 AM UTC

conkerspoon wrote: post #256

larkeith wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point isn't to go after everyone who fails to completely or accurately answer, but rather to provide a pretext for the deportation of people the government disfavor but lack a criminal case against; for example, an immigrant opposition leader, protestor, or whistleblower.

You forgot brown people. That's who will be targeted the most.

Love the downvotes. The current US administration is racist through and through. This kind of very broad net will be used to target undesirables... which means brown people in the eyes of the human garbage who comprise current US leadership.

The truth hurts, right America?

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

#269

Post by dbsvsv » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 2:03 AM UTC

opportune wrote: post #175

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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-c…

The entire Russia collusion thing is to take peoples attention away from dnc's burning of Bernie and other actions. I would urge people to read the WikiLeaks emails once and see what's in their. Its truly damning.

Also if there were an actual collusion then one of those "17 intelligence agencies" and the senate intelligence committee or Mueller probe would have revealed in a year. Unless you admit Trump is a total Genius who hid all his tracks well (and at the same time, according to same people, has trouble spelling and keeping his mouth shut )

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

#270

Post by jimmies » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 2:03 AM UTC

nbdev wrote: post #217

bambax wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

You won't visit the US because they want your social media details?

It's rather extreme to refuse to visit the US because of just that. However, refusing to visit countries that do things you don't agree with is a rational decision. I have a friend who declared he would totally refuse to visit North Korea -- why do you want to spend your money to enrich a shitty country and government? More practically, why do you want to spend vacation time being pissed off if you have literally hundreds of other choices?