Visitors To America Must Now Surrender Their Social Media Accounts

The US government now require all visitors travelling to America to surrender their social media accounts to DHS agents who will have the ability to read people’s private messages.  As of this week, foreign travellers to the United States will be required to disclose all of their social media usernames under the guise of “protecting America against terrorism.” CBS News reports: In June, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) proposed adding an optional question to travel authorization applications. It asked applicants to volunteer their social media account identifiers, as part of the agency’s efforts to enhance its vetting of people who travel to the U.S. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the addition of the question this month, the Department of Homeland Security told CBS News. Should applicants provide the requested information about their social media accounts, CBP officers would only be able to see what’s publicly available on the accounts submitted — applicants wouldn’t be asked to violate privacy settings or policies. After CBP proposed the new question, several civil liberties and internet groups raised objections. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) argued that there were “no standards to ensure that innocent travelers would not be misjudged [...]

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