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posted by Fnord666 on Saturday June 03 2017, @07:08PM   Printer-friendly
from the your-myspace-account-please dept.

The Trump administration has rolled out a new questionnaire for U.S. visa applicants worldwide that asks for social media handles for the last five years and biographical information going back 15 years.

The new questions, part of an effort to tighten vetting of would-be visitors to the United States, was approved on May 23 by the Office of Management and Budget despite criticism from a range of education officials and academic groups during a public comment period.

Critics argued that the new questions would be overly burdensome, lead to long delays in processing and discourage international students and scientists from coming to the United States.

Under the new procedures, consular officials can request all prior passport numbers, five years' worth of social media handles, email addresses and phone numbers and 15 years of biographical information including addresses, employment and travel history.

Officials will request the additional information when they determine "that such information is required to confirm identity or conduct more rigorous national security vetting," a State Department official said on Wednesday.

The State Department said earlier the tighter vetting would apply to visa applicants "who have been determined to warrant additional scrutiny in connection with terrorism or other national security-related visa ineligibilities."


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 03 2017, @07:38PM (6 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 03 2017, @07:38PM (#519951)

    What if people don't have any?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 03 2017, @07:58PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 03 2017, @07:58PM (#519957)

    T E R R I O R I S T

  • (Score: 2, Informative) by realDonaldTrump on Saturday June 03 2017, @09:04PM (4 children)

    by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Saturday June 03 2017, @09:04PM (#519982) Homepage Journal

    Honestly, it's 2017. I'm getting ready for 2020. Don't be a loser. Hop on and follow me. I know some of you are still on Blackberry. Blackberry is junk. It's junk for losers. Get a good phone and hop on Twitter. The chink Twitter if you're in China. Believe me, I know all about China. I know the score and it's not pretty the way China has been beating us. They kill us. President Xi, by the way, great guy. Great golfer. We had cake together at Mar-a-Lago, the winter White House. It was the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake that you've ever seen. As good as pussy. Maybe better. With missiles. Go hop on Facebook, if that's all you have. If you don't have Twitter. I'm telling you, Zuckerberg is a smart cookie. Smart little Jew. Jews are great people, one of the best. But what he wants isn't best for America. It's not what's best for American workers. And I always, always put American workers first. Believe me. But hop on Facebook if it's all you've got, and I know a lot of you only have that. I don't need to tell you, don't bother with the Google thing. But hop on Twitter if you can. Follow me and like. Then we can get on with the vetting. Because we're vetting extremely. Whether you're a student or a tourist. An immigrant or a refugee (I call them terrorists). Or an H1B. We're going to do something about the H1Bs, I'm telling you. But don't be a loser, hop on. Follow me and like. Also follow @IvankaTrump. If I wasn't her father I'd still follow her. Not just on Twitter. #TrumpResorts

    • (Score: 1) by marknmel on Saturday June 03 2017, @11:06PM (2 children)

      by marknmel (1243) on Saturday June 03 2017, @11:06PM (#520008) Homepage

      , but I like my BlackBerry....

      --
      There is nothing that can't be solved with one more layer of indirection.
      • (Score: 1) by realDonaldTrump on Sunday June 04 2017, @03:16AM (1 child)

        by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Sunday June 04 2017, @03:16AM (#520073) Homepage Journal

        Mark, I'm sure you're a great guy, but you've got to know how it looks. Coming to the U.S.A. with a phone that's not from the U.S.A. And Blackberry isn't. Isn't from the U.S.A. I'm sure you know, Hillary had one. Had a Blackberry. Instead of the phone she was supposed to use, she was on her Blackberry. She was on her Blackberry in Vietnam. She was on it in Brazil. And in South Korea. You know, Mark, I always say, I would never have invaded Vietnam. We shouldn't have been there, but once were there, we probably should have stayed. The soldiers in Vietnam, they had no leadership. They probably didn't know what they're fighting for. It's hard to say they're cowards, but they had nothing to fight for. It's a disgrace. We can't rebuild our own cities. Look at how much equipment we left behind for the enemy to take, millions in equipment. And I met their Prime Minister, Nguyễn Xuân Phúc. Phúc's a great guy, totally normal. Amazing! I hosted him at the White House. The one in Washington, not the good one. Not Mar-a-Lago. Not Trump Tower. The one they want me to use. Let me tell you, Mark, the golf isn't great. Not like Mar-a-Lago or Turnberry. Or Trump National Golf Club. Great courses, the best. So, Hillary, tough lady. Not tough enough. She liked her Blackberry. Like you, Mark. And she wasn't President. So she got in trouble. Because her Blackberry, not secure. Very important job she had, but she didn't use the phone she was supposed to. Not the one they wanted her to use. Not the secure one. And I know why. Because the secure phone is not great. Very hard to use. Doesn't do what I want it to do. Not even good as a flashlight, as a reading light. Not good for 'taping.' I'm telling you, Mark - and Mel - someone - and he knows who he is - had better hope I wasn't 'taping' with my other phone. So you can keep your Blackberry, but it doesn't look good. And we're going to vet it. Extremely. Get a phone you can work with, Mark, and follow me. And @IvankaTrump. Follow and retweet. And don't follow ISIS, they hate the gays. Very hateful, as bad as Kathy Griffin. Almost as bad. I love the gays, believe me. They're great people, some of the best. Elton, great guy. Played at my inauguration. Good luck, Mike. Good luck, Mel. Have a great life. #Trump2020

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 04 2017, @09:38AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 04 2017, @09:38AM (#520158)

          I got two phones, one for the bitches and one for the dough.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 04 2017, @01:10AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 04 2017, @01:10AM (#520042)

      It's uncanny how much this could actually come from dumb-smurf. Uncanny I tell you...