US Customs may begin asking for your social media account details
US Customs has proposed a new screening which would require people to declare their social media handles.
Your Twitter and Facebook posts may soon affect your chances of getting into America. The US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has put forward a new proposal to the federal register, which indicates that it wants people entering the US to declare all their social media account details. The data collection will be optional and will be "used for vetting purposes" by customs officials.
The proposal highlights the changes that the US Customs desires, which is to include a non-mandatory data field into arrival/departure forms, which would read: "Please enter information associated with your online presence—Provider/Platform—Social media identifier."
"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," the proposal highlights.
However, it is uncertain as to the extent of details that customs officials would be allowed to delve into. It is also unclear if the data obtained will be stored in some database for future use.
The proposal is available to be viewed by the public for 60 days and comment on it, before it is formally considered. While the CBP has invited the public to provide comments on the proposal, they caution that in order for them to be considered, the comments should address if the data collection is necessary, the cost of such an initiative and suggestions on how to "the quality, utility, and clarity" of the data collected.
"All comments will become a matter of public record," the document states.
In the wake of various devastating international terror attacks, the US has implemented several new changes to its visa process, tightening security measures. In the aftermath of the San Bernardino shooting, the US Department of Homeland Security also implemented a similar pilot program, aimed at collecting and analysing social media account details for US visa applicants.
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