U.S. Customs and Border Protection now asks foreign travelers for their social media accounts

[fisherman]

This is one of reason I don't have any social media (Facebook, Twitter,Youtube) accounts. I like my private life to stay private

From Politico web site:

The U.S. government quietly began requesting that select foreign visitors provide their Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts upon arriving in the country, a move designed to spot potential terrorist threats that drew months of opposition from tech giants and privacy hawks alike.

Since Tuesday, foreign travelers arriving in the United States on the visa waiver program have been presented with an “optional” request to “enter information associated with your online presence,” a government official confirmed Thursday. The prompt includes a drop-down menu that lists platforms including Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, as well as a space for users to input their account names on those sites.

A spokeswoman for Customs and Border Protection, who said the government approved the change on Dec. 19, told POLITICO on Thursday the new policy is meant to “identify potential threats.” Previously, the agency had said it wouldn't prohibit entry to foreigners who didn’t provide their social media account information.

The question itself is included in what’s known as the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, a process that certain foreign travelers must complete to come to the United States. ESTA and a related paper form specifically apply to those arriving here through the visa-waiver program, which allows citizens of 38 countries to travel and stay in the United States for up to 90 days without a visa.

The US government approves around 10m visa applications a year and had 77.5 million foreign visitors in 2015. Collecting social media accounts for all visitors could produce one of the largest government-controlled databases of its kind almost overnight.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/foreign-travelers-social-media-232930

Since US start doing this, I guess other countries will follow and ask for foreigner visitors social media accounts.

 

[cafeconleche]

Yup, especially dodgier ones...

 

[BorisIvanov]

Oh snaps and I was just beginning to get a lot of traction with my twitter handle

 

[Windu33]

I think they will only check the social accounts if there is a suspicion of terrorist-related activities. They don't have the resource to check everybody's accounts.

 

[jwdkhan]

Here is my personal experience when I flew back into the US last week.

This is the first time I traveled with a US passport and visited Pakistan after 5 years. I had expected some kind of scrutiny on my way back and right on cue, my entry slip generated at the automated immigration kiosks had a big cross on it. An immigration officer directed me to a special questioning area and asked me to wait. I was called out after 10 minutes and asked to gather my checked baggage from the carousel downstairs and wait for someone to meet me there. The officer kept my passport while I went to gather my bags. After I had all my luggage with me, another officer came up to me and asked me to follow him to a customs screening area (he most probably ID-ed me from the photo on my passport). We went past all the long lines and ended up in front of a rather quiet customs search table.

I was asked a few questions on the purpose of my visit, cities and people I visited, duration of stay and address of primary location of stay. I was then asked about what I had brought in with me (any foods, fruits or meats) and the retail value of some of the gifts I had brought back. Another officer came by, opened my laptop bag and started going through my personal diary that he found in the pocket. After turning a few pages, he put it back and walked away. At no time did anyone ask that I unlock and hand over my phone or show them any social media content. The first officer checked all my bags in a polite and pleasant demeanor and smiled to say he was done and I could leave.

 

[cafeconleche]

You're not a visitor, but they could also ask you to unlock your phone. Apparently a fingerprint is something you would have to provide, but you don't actually have to provide a password.