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posted by Fnord666 on Sunday April 01 2018, @07:58PM   Printer-friendly
from the quite-an-assumption dept.

Previously the State Department had required only visitors to the US who where coming from specific regions to turn over more social control media information. Now Engadget and CNN tell of the following proposed changes which are now posted in the Federal Register and entering their 60 period for public comment.

From Engadget:

In documents that the department will file to the Federal Register tomorrow [ed: 2018-03-30], it proposes that nearly every individual applying for a US visa be required to hand over any social media handles used on certain platforms in the past five years as well as submit any telephone numbers and email addresses used during that same time period.

The State Department will accept public comments until near the end of May.

Sources:
Engadget: US visa applications may soon require five years of social media info
CNN: US to require would-be immigrants to turn over social media handles

[ed: no actual DS-160 or DS-156 forms seem to be available for download or review.
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/forms/ds-160-online-nonimmigrant-visa-application.html ]


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  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by inertnet on Sunday April 01 2018, @08:15PM (22 children)

    by inertnet (4071) on Sunday April 01 2018, @08:15PM (#661226) Journal

    I don't have any social media accounts. I used to have a Facebook account but suspended that (couldn't delete it) after about 10 years of inactivity.

    I wonder if that's an option on the visa application: no social media.

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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 01 2018, @08:18PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 01 2018, @08:18PM (#661228)

    terrorist watchlist, since anti-consumerist behavior is the same as being a terrorist. You're scaring them into thinking they can't monetize you and that is downright unamerican and a threat to their way of life!

    I wish I were kidding.

    Be a true patriot and show how much of a consumerist whore you are today! Doing otherwise would be unamerican!

    • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 01 2018, @11:26PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 01 2018, @11:26PM (#661264)

      ...You're scaring them into thinking they can't monetize you and that is downright unamerican... Be a true patriot...

      If I need a visa to visit the US I'm unAmerican by definition... and I'm already a true patriot of my country (I understand that your comment was given in - what's the word for "I wish this was just sarcasm but it's accurate"?).

  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by FatPhil on Sunday April 01 2018, @08:29PM (8 children)

    by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Sunday April 01 2018, @08:29PM (#661233) Homepage
    Even though I don't have any social media accounts, I do have a solution to this problem that works just great for me: simply don't visit the USA. Why should I help them with their balance of payments by giving them invisible exports? Canada - sure, looking forward to a trip, but their southern neighbour is quite easily avoidable.
    --
    Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by frojack on Sunday April 01 2018, @10:14PM (7 children)

      by frojack (1554) on Sunday April 01 2018, @10:14PM (#661253) Journal

      Yes, please stay away. (No disrespect intended). Financial punishment is the only thing the US government understands.

      There is a 20 Billion Monthly INFLOW of travel related expenditures by visitors to the US.
      This is balanced by a 15 Billion Dollar Monthly OUTFLOW of money to other countries when US citizens travel abroad.

      https://travel.trade.gov/outreachpages/download_data_table/Monthly_Exports_Imports_Balance.xlsx [trade.gov] (yes, its a spread sheet FCS).

      Shut off the Inflow, (or damp it down a bunch), and guess who loses: US travel industry and the tax authorities.

      While the US has had a 5 billion dollar monthly balance of travel related trade surplus for years, this dropped by 17.8% from 2016 to 2017. Apparently that wasn't enough for anyone to get the message.

      The Grand Canyon will still be there when this nonsense passes.

      --
      No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
      • (Score: 3, Funny) by Gaaark on Monday April 02 2018, @12:47AM (1 child)

        by Gaaark (41) on Monday April 02 2018, @12:47AM (#661286) Journal

        "The Grand Canyon will still be there when this nonsense passes."

        But will Yellowstone?
        :0

        --
        --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
        • (Score: 3, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Monday April 02 2018, @09:00AM

          by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday April 02 2018, @09:00AM (#661377) Journal

          Well, yes, of course it will still be there. You may reasonably expect some remodeling, with possibly the addition of a mountain and/or crater. But, it will still be there!

      • (Score: 2) by tonyPick on Monday April 02 2018, @08:32AM (2 children)

        by tonyPick (1237) on Monday April 02 2018, @08:32AM (#661369) Homepage Journal

        The Grand Canyon will still be there when this nonsense passes.

        You, sir, are an optimist. The tweet "Nuclear wars are good, and easy to win" wouldn't even qualify as the dumbest thing to come out of the current administration this _week_.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 02 2018, @05:51PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 02 2018, @05:51PM (#661587)

          And its only Monday...

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 02 2018, @09:46PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 02 2018, @09:46PM (#661682)

          That's Trade Wars dumbass. They make is so easy to shit upon them and you still fucked it up.

      • (Score: 2) by shortscreen on Monday April 02 2018, @09:36AM

        by shortscreen (2252) on Monday April 02 2018, @09:36AM (#661384) Journal

        While this policy is dumb and the US gov deserves to have it blow up in their faces, most of the tourism dollars are probably coming from people who don't even need to apply for a visa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Waiver_Program [wikipedia.org]

      • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Monday April 02 2018, @03:30PM

        by tangomargarine (667) on Monday April 02 2018, @03:30PM (#661515)

        The Grand Canyon will still be there when this nonsense passes.

        Yeah, um...about that.

        Trump Slashes Size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Monuments [nytimes.com]

        Guess we'd better hope they don't discover oil in the Grand Canyon.

        --
        "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 01 2018, @08:31PM (6 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 01 2018, @08:31PM (#661234)

    But they know from fb data reports that you indeed have an account. Then they deny your visa.
    Up to you whether coming to America is that important to you or not. Other countries like China and Russia are annoying to get visas for, so I don't go.

    • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 01 2018, @08:35PM (4 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 01 2018, @08:35PM (#661236)

      You have the option of coming without a visa by taking a tunnel from Mexico. Eventually you dreamer will get amnesty, then citizenship.

      • (Score: 2) by chromas on Sunday April 01 2018, @10:18PM (2 children)

        by chromas (34) Subscriber Badge on Sunday April 01 2018, @10:18PM (#661257) Journal

        The wall just got ten feet higher.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 02 2018, @12:34AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 02 2018, @12:34AM (#661285)

          For the first time in history we have a method of accurately calculating a person's intelligence. By some odd twist it involves the measuring of fictitious walls, but that just opens up a ton of opportunities for more research grants. Everyone is quite excited.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 02 2018, @06:30PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 02 2018, @06:30PM (#661608)

          Lol. The wall will never even be completed, much less improved.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 02 2018, @03:27PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 02 2018, @03:27PM (#661512)

        For those modding this Flamebait and Troll...is this not literally exactly what the liberals are proposing?

    • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Sunday April 01 2018, @08:49PM

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Sunday April 01 2018, @08:49PM (#661242)

      Other countries like China and Russia are annoying to get visas for

      France too, on occasion.

      --
      🌻🌻 [google.com]
  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Sunday April 01 2018, @08:41PM (2 children)

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Sunday April 01 2018, @08:41PM (#661239)

    Soylent is social media....

    --
    🌻🌻 [google.com]
    • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 01 2018, @08:47PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 01 2018, @08:47PM (#661240)

      Just don't put AC on the application. They'll think you are one fast typing schizophrenic.

    • (Score: 0, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 02 2018, @12:12AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 02 2018, @12:12AM (#661277)

      Then the term "social media" is useless, since SN shares very little in common with massive surveillance engines like Facebook.

  • (Score: 5, Touché) by wonkey_monkey on Sunday April 01 2018, @11:32PM

    by wonkey_monkey (279) on Sunday April 01 2018, @11:32PM (#661265) Homepage

    I don't have any social media accounts.

    by inertnet (4071)

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk