Today we submitted formal comments to U. S. Customs and Border Protection objecting to its proposal to start asking visitors to the USA to list all their ‘social media identifiers’. USCBP (a division of the Department of Homeland Security) proposes to add this question to the I-94W form for international visitors arriving in the U. S., and to the onlineESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) application form for vistors form countries in the U. S. Visa Waiver Program:
Please enter information associated with your online presence – Provider/Platform – Social media identifier.’ It will be an optional data field to request social media identifiers to be used for vetting purposes, as well as applicant contact information. Collecting social media data will enhance the existing investigative process and provide DHS greater clarity and visibility to possible nefarious activity and connections by providing an additional tool set which analysts and investigators may use to better analyze and investigate the case.
We’ve previously argued that the entire ESTA scheme is an illegal de facto visa requirement that violates the rights of foreign visitors to the U. S. But this proposal would make it even worse. Hundreds of individualsand more than two dozen organizations have already denounced this proposal. You can submit your own comments here until midnight tonight, Eastern time. If you agree with us that this is a terrible idea, feel free to endorse our comments or use them as a template:
This post was published at Papers Please on Aug 22, 2016.
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