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

#281

Post by grzm » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 2:45 AM UTC

weirdstuff wrote: post #275

dbsvsv wrote: post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 Ge…

And it started right after Trump won. Before that night the wisdom was exactly the opposite: that our elections can't be hacked, and we shouldn't believe claims about it. Then Trump won and created mass hysteria in the political community, then the FUD went full steam ahead about Russia. Instead of talking of the contents of the leaks, all we now can talk about was that there was a leak – and, oh – it was Russia hack…

> "that our elections can't be hacked"

There have been concerns about election security going back many years for different interpretations of "hacked". Election fraud worries (one interpretation of "hacking" an election) go back pretty much as far as you want to go. Foreign influence? The Foreign Agents Registration Act was enacted in 1938. Hacking electronic voting machines was in the news around the 2000 election. "All started right after Trump won"? Let's at least be specific about what we mean when we say "all", for starters.

Obama (in)famously said "The larger point I want to emphasize here is that there is no serious person out there that would suggest that you could even rig America's elections" in response to Donald Trump speaking out about the possibility that the US Presidential election would be rigged. It's unfortunate because the integrity of elections is something we need to value and secure to ensure people have faith in the system, because if the elections are secure, if people doubt them, it undeservedly undermines people's belief in the legitimacy of the elected government. (Similarly, it's important to engage in good faith discussions with people you may not necessarily agree with if you want to cooperate and move forward.)

Note that Obama was speaking specifically about rigging elections, which Trump was on record as saying "I'm afraid the election's going to be rigged. The allegations I've heard† (and a focus of the Mueller investigation) have been of Russian influence in the elections via misinformation, not rigging or hacking election machines.

I'm all for honest discussion of the topics you raise, which includes being clear specifically on what was said and alleged, as well as what specifically is under discussion.

† You can likely find anyone saying pretty much anything, so let's please except more fringe accusations on all sides.

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

#282

Post by dragonwriter » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 2:46 AM UTC

weirdstuff wrote: post #275

dbsvsv wrote: post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 Ge…

And it started right after Trump won. Before that night the wisdom was exactly the opposite: that our elections can't be hacked, and we shouldn't believe claims about it. Then Trump won and created mass hysteria in the political community, then the FUD went full steam ahead about Russia. Instead of talking of the contents of the leaks, all we now can talk about was that there was a leak – and, oh – it was Russia hack…

> Then Trump won and created mass hysteria in the political community, then the FUD went full steam ahead about Russia.

Except in the real world, where the public announcement about Russian interference campaign happened before the election. And the detailed information about penetration of voting system came from the Trump Administration. Neither fits your narrative.

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

#283

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 2:49 AM UTC

adamsea wrote: post #190

paxy wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That still doesn't make sense. To prove they checked the form wrong, you have to prove the actual charge itself (e.g. they are a terrorist, by whatever definition). That itself is enough evidence for deportation.

You may have misunderstood - I think the parent is saying its the same principle as, say, convicting Al Capone of tax fraud. Create a large number of small, easy-to-accidentally-violate laws (think police stops and traffic laws here), and then selectively enforce them - so if its difficult to prove someone is a terrorist, kick them out of the country for incorrectly filling out their Form WhateverWhatever1300B instea…

[deleted]

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

#284

Post by forapurpose » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 3:03 AM UTC

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?

It's baseless to say that they are equal; the employer obviously preferred someone else. Why should we discriminate against people based on nationality? We get a more competitive, more efficient, more productive economy by opening it to more people.

Another answer to your question is, so that Americans can get jobs in other countries.

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

#285

Post by remind_me_again » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 3:09 AM UTC

Doesn't the government have full access to such stuff already. I think these kind of stories exists just to obscrure that fact.

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

#286

Post by zaxomi » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 3:22 AM UTC

jimmies wrote: post #270

nbdev wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 hun…

No, it is actually not extreme at all to refuse to visit because of this. It is non of your countries business.

The only extreme thing with this, is collecting this useless information.

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

#287

Post by peter303 » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 3:23 AM UTC

jgh wrote: post #4

the effort to make the US even more unappealing to immigrants marches on...

I've heard the local technical university is seeing about third of the international students having visa delays. This was from a talk by a engineering dept head on March 26.

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

#288

Post by peter303 » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 3:26 AM UTC

Hopefully the hotels of of the person instituting this policy will go bankrupt from the large decrease in international visitors. Karma. That person should think ahead a bit and realize the full consequences.

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

#289

Post by HillaryBriss » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 3:27 AM UTC

opportune wrote: post #221

dragonwriter wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Conversely, it makes running an opposition campaign so easy that the opposition won't need to focus on the big issues. Just over 50% disapproval isn't actually that easy to beat; its enough to draw strong candidates of diverse viewpoints into the opposition primary (rather than them sitting out as often happens with a strong incumbent), but not solid enough for opposition complacency. Of course, that number could m…

I don't think being a corporate mouthpiece was the reason Hillary lost; I think it had more to do with her lack of charisma and the many years of media that had engendered a deep feeling of mistrust towards her. Obama was almost as corporate as her, in my opinion, except he was much more well spoken and likable. Biden is along the same lines and it looks like he's gearing up for a run for the presidency. Also as elec…

i think so too.

if Trump is still around in Nov 2020, he's overwhelmingly likely to lose. his opposition is extremely motivated and overflowing with a prurient desire to defeat him, while Trump's remaining voters, who have been repeatedly embarrassed and disappointed, have as much motivation to show up at the polls as a child has to show up at a vaccination clinic.

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

#290

Post by visarga » Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 3:32 AM UTC

tmaier wrote: post #239

This kind of behaviour is a case of why one should avoid hosting internation conferences in the US. Sad for the US, but important to keep in mond when organizing.

They could split the conference into an US and an EU branch, run simultaneously by streaming, so researchers could make their presentations and attendees watch from both countries. That would limit the mingling and interaction though. If your goal is to make contacts, find employees, investors or jobs, then you got to go through the hoops.