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US could ask foreign tourists for five-year social media history before entry

bbc.co.uk

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Re: US could ask foreign tourists for five-year social media history before entry

#271

Post by scarecrowbob »

rayiner wrote: post #268
scarecrowbob wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, yes people who believe in "universal human rights" probably are less okay with "highly contingent rights conferred by a government".

Rights can be inalienable but not universal. These rights are conferred by the government, but arise by virtue of membership in a body politic. For example, the right to vote isn’t universal but the government can’t take it away. Free speech arises out of America’s Anglo history and tradition and was viewed by the founders as a political right that protects democracy. There is nothing inconsistent about saying that t…

The people you're describing found it consistent with liberty to own other humans, so forgive me if I am skeptical.

I understand your point, I just have a different theory of rights. Just because something is logically conistent doesn't mean I agree with the starting premises.

Personally, are any of your beliefs or statements things that could ban you for entry into the US? Because I have quite a few things that I have said on social media which would likely prevent my entry. It certainly doesn't make me feel like a "member of a body politic" when that body treats my beliefs as intrusive and foreign.

Re: US could ask foreign tourists for five-year social media history before entry

#272

Post by raw_anon_1111 »

DFHippie wrote: post #211
rayiner wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good thing international tourism counts for only about half of a percent of U.S. GDP: https://wttc.org/news/us-economy-set-to-lose-12-5bn-in-inter...

A lot of things will be harder for the US to do if everyone in the world hates us. Letting people come here and see that most Americans aren't monsters pays dividends beyond the dollars they spend. The Trump Administrations actions read like a checklist of things you'd do if you wanted to destroy the US's power to protect itself and its allies and promote the well-being of its people.

> Letting people come here and see that most Americans aren't monsters pays dividends beyond the dollars they spend.

40% of the population still support Trump.

If you have 10 friends and ask them where they want to meet for dinner and 6 say let’s go to a Mexican restaurant and the other 4 say “let’s kill Bob and eat him”, you still need to be concerned about your friend group.

Re: US could ask foreign tourists for five-year social media history before entry

#273

Post by raw_anon_1111 »

pandaman wrote: post #252
akie wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My social media is full of rants about the ongoing trend of bringing fascism to the US and the authoritarian and repressive tendencies of the current president. Am I not allowed to say that?

All the cases of people being turned away at the border over social media posts that I have seen reported were about illegal work. I am afraid even the CBP agents might not be bored enough to read some rando's political screeds. But it's impossible to tell for sure as your admission is solely the matter for the officer who would be handling your arrival.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/15/state-department-vi...

Re: US could ask foreign tourists for five-year social media history before entry

#274

Post by raw_anon_1111 »

rayiner wrote: post #230
andor wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Free speech is generally considered a human right that should apply to anyone, not just citizens. It's the basis of democracy, and a healthy democracy does not reject a visitor just because they criticized its government.

To the contrary, it's pro-democratic. In a healthy democracy, people should be able to vote to create the kind of society they want. That includes being able to exclude, through their government, outsiders who don't share their values.

Next up, in a society you should make sure that people you want to exclude have to drink from certain water fountains, can’t be in the same pool and go to separate schools…

Re: US could ask foreign tourists for five-year social media history before entry

#275

Post by pandaman »

raw_anon_1111 wrote: post #273
pandaman wrote: post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All the cases of people being turned away at the border over social media posts that I have seen reported were about illegal work. I am afraid even the CBP agents might not be bored enough to read some rando's political screeds. But it's impossible to tell for sure as your admission is solely the matter for the officer who would be handling your arrival.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/15/state-department-vi...

What does this link have to do with what I wrote? There is not even the word "border" mentioned in the article. This article talks about canceled visas, not people denied entry at the border.

Re: US could ask foreign tourists for five-year social media history before entry

#276

Post by raw_anon_1111 »

pandaman wrote: post #275
raw_anon_1111 wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/15/state-department-vi...

What does this link have to do with what I wrote? There is not even the word "border" mentioned in the article. This article talks about canceled visas, not people denied entry at the border.

You think the same government that will kick people out of the country for saying something they don’t agree with will let people in the country for saying something they don’t agree with?

Re: US could ask foreign tourists for five-year social media history before entry

#277

Post by pandaman »

raw_anon_1111 wrote: post #276
pandaman wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What does this link have to do with what I wrote? There is not even the word "border" mentioned in the article. This article talks about canceled visas, not people denied entry at the border.

You think the same government that will kick people out of the country for saying something they don’t agree with will let people in the country for saying something they don’t agree with?

Canceling a visa does not kick anyone out of the country as far as I know. And the article says their visas were revoked for celebrating death of Americans, it surely is "something they don't agree with" but your implication that it happens for anything they don't agree with is poorly thought through. Unless you really think celebrating someone's death is a regular thing normal people do, in that case you probably are a psychopath.

Re: US could ask foreign tourists for five-year social media history before entry

#278

Post by raw_anon_1111 »

pandaman wrote: post #277
raw_anon_1111 wrote: post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You think the same government that will kick people out of the country for saying something they don’t agree with will let people in the country for saying something they don’t agree with?

Canceling a visa does not kick anyone out of the country as far as I know. And the article says their visas were revoked for celebrating death of Americans, it surely is "something they don't agree with" but your implication that it happens for anything they don't agree with is poorly thought through. Unless you really think celebrating someone's death is a regular thing normal people do, in that case you probably ar…

Yes I’m sure the same administration - the one that pardoned 1500 people who tried to kill the sitting VP - would have acted the same if it wasn’t a racist podcaster and instead someone of color.

Re: US could ask foreign tourists for five-year social media history before entry

#279

Post by pandaman »

raw_anon_1111 wrote: post #278
pandaman wrote: post #277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Canceling a visa does not kick anyone out of the country as far as I know. And the article says their visas were revoked for celebrating death of Americans, it surely is "something they don't agree with" but your implication that it happens for anything they don't agree with is poorly thought through. Unless you really think celebrating someone's death is a regular thing normal people do, in that case you probably ar…

Yes I’m sure the same administration - the one that pardoned 1500 people who tried to kill the sitting VP - would have acted the same if it wasn’t a racist podcaster and instead someone of color.

Maybe they have done that out of pity? I mean, if you try to kill one senior citizen with 1499 of your buddies and still fail then how do you even keep yourself fed?

Re: US could ask foreign tourists for five-year social media history before entry

#280

Post by bigfatkitten »

raw_anon_1111 wrote: post #269
tavavex wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people have to travel for work. For Canadians, lots of international flights connect through the US (especially if you're flying on the cheapest routes), and there's no way to transit through without "properly" entering the country. While the thing in the post doesn't yet apply to Canada (due to us not requiring an ESTA), it very well could become a thing soon. That would be pretty awful for everyone.

Does any country require you to have entry rights for a layover?

US does. You have to clear immigration, exit the terminal and then come back into the terminal just like a local passenger.
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