U.S. authorities are getting even more paranoid about visitors as they’re proposing another requirement at customs: access to social media accounts #securemagic
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency proposed the addition of a new field on the I-94 travel form or application for an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) visa requiring “information associated with your online presence/social media identifier.” Basically, they’re asking for your social media account – be it Twitter, Facebook or other platform.
The logic behind it? “Collecting social media data will enhance the existing investigative process and provide DHS [Department of Homeland Security] 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.”
Authorities actually believe that people who are up to no good in the States will give hints about their intentions on their personal social media accounts – yeah, right! If you ask us, instead of filtering between innocent tourists and possible terrorists, they’ll just misinterpret social media posts like they’ve done it before. Remember the 2012 incident? Two visitors who planned on partying hard once they arrived in America, became suspects after this tweet: “Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America.”
Fortunately, this is just a proposal for now and the requirement could be optional. We”ll have to wait around 60 days for a final decision.
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