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White House discussing asking foreign visitors for social media and phone contacts

edition.cnn.com

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Re: White House discussing asking foreign visitors for social media and phone contacts

#11

Post by stablemap »

KAdot wrote: post #2

Well, it happened under Obama's leadership https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/26/us-customs-soc... . Previous HN discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11984609 .

I appreciate that the proposal [1] was put out for comments half a year before its implementation last month, although I wonder what comments it would have taken to get this thing reversed. "Optional" is a menacing word here—has anyone followed up on this?

[1] https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2016-14848

Re: White House discussing asking foreign visitors for social media and phone contacts

#12

Post by Hnrobert42 »

Let's say they implement this. What are some ways around it? You could uninstall Facebook and say you don't have an account. You could sign out of your Google account (Android). I wonder if there is a way to programmatically back up your contacts, remove everything, the reimport them.

I happen to be a US cit, but if I wasn't, I would just factory reset my phone before entry. Periodic factory resets seem to be a good idea anyway.

Re: White House discussing asking foreign visitors for social media and phone contacts

#13

Post by KAdot »

becarefulyo wrote: post #5
KAdot wrote: post #2

Well, it happened under Obama's leadership https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/26/us-customs-soc... . Previous HN discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11984609 .

Classic alt-er redirection. It doesn't matter if Obama started it, what matters is what we're going to do to stop it.

I'm not a US citizen and I don't support this (I visited many countries and interacting with a border control officer in JFK was the worst experience ever), I'm just saying that the CNN article is misleading.

Re: White House discussing asking foreign visitors for social media and phone contacts

#14

Post by ap3 »

becarefulyo wrote: post #5
KAdot wrote: post #2

Well, it happened under Obama's leadership https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/26/us-customs-soc... . Previous HN discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11984609 .

Classic alt-er redirection. It doesn't matter if Obama started it, what matters is what we're going to do to stop it.

They hated everything Obama stood for but now it's ok if Obama did it?

Re: White House discussing asking foreign visitors for social media and phone contacts

#15

Post by dogma1138 »

stablemap wrote: post #11
KAdot wrote: post #2

Well, it happened under Obama's leadership https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/26/us-customs-soc... . Previous HN discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11984609 .

I appreciate that the proposal [1] was put out for comments half a year before its implementation last month, although I wonder what comments it would have taken to get this thing reversed. "Optional" is a menacing word here—has anyone followed up on this? [1] https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2016-14848

Optional doesn't mean what you think it means. Don't want to fill it out? entry denied: failure to cooperate with CBP personnel. "I Don't have facebook" as a way out - google your name, busted: entry denied, lied to a CBP agent. The US is a may permit entry country, even with a Visa your entry is still under the discretion of the CBP agent, they don't like you that's it they don't need a reason to deny entry.

No buts, ifs and whys, you can have all the right paperwork and if you misbehave, don't follow orders, or do anything that the CBP agent might not like you'll be spending 8 hours in a room waiting for an embassy official to come to scold you and give you a ticket for your flight home.

Re: White House discussing asking foreign visitors for social media and phone contacts

#16

Post by smsm42 »

Tepix wrote: post #4
KAdot wrote: post #2

Well, it happened under Obama's leadership https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/26/us-customs-soc... . Previous HN discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11984609 .

Notably: "If the foreign visitor declines to share such information, he or she could be denied entry." That part is new, isn't it?

Anybody who is not a citizen can be denied entry. So it's not new, just reiterating that they have this authority - which they always had.

Re: White House discussing asking foreign visitors for social media and phone contacts

#17

Post by jrnichols »

ap3 wrote: post #14
becarefulyo wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Classic alt-er redirection. It doesn't matter if Obama started it, what matters is what we're going to do to stop it.

They hated everything Obama stood for but now it's ok if Obama did it?

That's how a lot of the current narrative is, unfortunately. Obama gets a pass, Trump gets the blame.
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