Updated
A US federal government proposal to collect social media identities of nearly everyone who seeks entry into the country has been described as a "chilling" encroachment on freedom of speech and association.
Key Points
- The proposal would impact about 14.7 million people annually
- The changes go further than rules instituted last year to only ask for social media identities in some instances
- The ACLU believes there is a risk the changes will unfairly target people from Muslim countries
The State Department filed a proposal which would require most immigrant and non-immigrant visa applicants to list all social media identities they have used in the past five years, as well as previously used telephone numbers, email addresses and their international travel history over the same period.
The information would be used to vet and identify them, which would affect about 14.7 million people annually.
The proposal goes further than rules instituted last May. Those changes instructed consular officials to collect social media identities only when they determined "that such information is required to confirm identity or conduct more rigorous national security vetting," a State Department official said at the time.
The proposal requires approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) but it supports President Donald Trump's campaign promise to institute "extreme vetting" of foreigners entering the US to prevent terrorism.
Freedom of speech and association concerns
The American Civil Liberties Union expressed concern, saying the move would have a "chilling" effect on freedom of speech and association.
"People will now have to wonder if what they say online will be misconstrued or misunderstood by a government official," Hina Shamsi, director of ACLU's National Security Project, said in a statement.
"We're also concerned about how the Trump administration defines the vague and over-broad term a 'terrorist activities' because it is inherently political and can be used to discriminate against immigrants who have done nothing wrong.
"There is a real risk that social media vetting will unfairly target immigrants and travellers from Muslim-majority countries for discriminatory visa denials, without doing anything to protect national security."
The public has 60 days to comment on the revised procedures before the OMB approves or rejects them.
If approved, applicants will also be asked if they have been deported or removed from any country and whether family members have been involved in terrorist activities.
The department said it intends not to routinely ask most diplomatic and official visa applicants for the additional information.
Reuters/AP
Topics: world-politics, social-media, travel-and-tourism, terrorism, united-states
First posted