Proposed US immigration changes

[reluctantbrit]

In case you still plan to visit the US, if this will be reality there is no way I am going near any US border.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/10/tourists-social-media-trump

I really hope you weren't posting in an attempt to show that Americans can do nuance and irony.

If that had any sense, they would have started the trawl with the contact details you supply when booking the flight.

How is that even possible? How are they going to check all this? They are going to check everyone’s social media content for the last five years? Sure they could do it through AI I suppose but they need to set that up and monitor it and isn’t there some privacy issue there? I know FB can access what I put on it but if set as private would they need a court order - though I see they say everyone must set their profiles to ‘public’? That’s not going to happen. And phone numbers? Family members? Isn’t this a data breach thing? At least it’s still a proposal and if all they are asking is, like the ‘do you have an association with terrorist groups’ question, ‘have you engaged in Anti American propaganda’ then ok as I really don’t see how they are going to be able to check everyone.

Yeah I genuinely couldn't list every email address I've ever had even if I wanted to, and I'm a millennial so it's not even going back that far! I think the first one I ever had was in 2002.

well yeah... If it's anything like the tariff policy, there will be so many carve outs for special category people that the "requirement" will be almost always near zero effectively. Only heavy burdens could be on "shithole" country people. imho. British people on this forum won't have much to moan about, but someone from Nigeria / Bangaldesh / Laos / Botswana could have a big headache of having to plan their visit months in advance.

All you do is type in your username/handles. That's all. Just type in the handles you've used in the past 5 years.

Yeah, cos I can totally remember all of those. I know I closed my Failbook account but I can't remember when. Same for TwiX. I can't even remember all my Mumsnet name changes...

Ironic in every way. Truth, justice, freedom? No, not even slightly.

America has struggled with the tension between core beliefs and realpolitik since about 1945. If not earlier. There is a page-long list of countries that American interventionism has royally fucked up:

Guatemala
El Salvador
Nicaragua
Panama
Honduras
Mexico
Columbia
Vietnam
Cambodia
Laos
Angola
Mozambique
Iraq
Afghanistan

And on and on and on.

So many dead, tortured, forcibly adopted, pushed out of helicopters, rendition cases.

There are no real American values, not if you look at their leaders. Except the love of money. Which according to their stated religion…

It'll be fine

Also photo metadata and ip addresses needed, I wouldn't know where to start

I could understand it for green card/certain visa types. But not for a 2 week holiday.
I don't have contact to my sister and only can communicate via FB messenger unless I write her a letter. So no phone number.

My child wouldn't want her details stored in a US database. Any US person checking would definitely think I am crazy if they review all the FB groups I am on and based on the views there, I wouldn't get an ESTA (far too pro-LGBTQ+, and trans supportive).

Will have universal here soon anyway so no need to go to Florida.

I'll sit tight until trump has gone before I venture to the US

They'd just be checking if the social media handles are flagged. I have all my accounts set to private anyway. Being LGB at least is all legal in America.

No one gives a shit about your "private" settings. Least of all Uncle Sam. Remember Meta (and Google et al) are US companies and bound by US law. Which says any data they can access is fair game for the US to trawl.

And that would make it childs play to cross reference your email address(es) with any US firm.

Apparently you have to set all your profiles to public as well.

my work is of a somewhat sensitive nature and we are told to have all our social media locked down. Many professions from teachers, dr’s, lawyers, social care, military, police etc won’t have public profiles as there is a risk to you, your family or the public if certain people can get hold of your information.

so that would be interesting. I have no qualms about border control checking through my social media as I don’t think there is anything the US would find problematic, but it could be unsafe for me to make my profiles public.

Like I said, profiles have to be set to public.

Wonder what Gianni Infantino will make of this..

A friend of mine is recently back from a trip to the US.
They were asked all this info, although some of the finer details were voluntary.

They aren't going to ask major social media companies to hand over private data. Data requests have to be targeted. The US Government cannot freely trawl through the databases of Google or Meta.

At the border CBP can demand all devices unlocked for them to check though.

That's only for student visa applications. This is just asking for the handles.

They aren't going to ask major social media companies to hand over private data. Data requests have to be targeted. The US Government cannot freely trawl through the databases of Google or Meta.

I assure you they can and do. I suggest you familiarise yourself with US law - in particular the CLOUD act.

Whether or not they will is another matter. However be under no illusion. If you have ever saved any data on a system that is under the control of a US company, then it's fair game. Unless you ensure it's encrypted before you save it. And as we know, only bad people do that.

Thanks for mentioning the Cloud act. I actually did some reading and researching. There would still need to be a basis and an investigation going on. They still need probable cause to demand the data and need to show a reason for it.

Well, they can easily argue that you want to go to the US and want the ESTA so it's up to you to open your SM accounts for them to see.

You don't have to do this but then you don't go. Easy for them, they don't need you (so they think at the moment).

I am under no illusion that my private accounts are private to Meta. Let's face it, it all belongs to them and the way they target me with ads they know exactly what I post, what I read and to which groups I belong to.

They’ve asked for SM details for years, though.

I simply ticked ‘no SM’ last time. All my accounts are anonymous so they’d struggle to find anything and I don’t have any of the SM apps on my phone just on devices I use at home.

I’ve no plans to go there at all, but my DH is there all the time with work (currently there now), so I’ve been careful that nothing I do or say is traceable back to him. He has deliberately never had any SM presence whatsoever. Am thinking that was a wise career decision. My kids don’t post anything either, simply have insta log ins and closed/private accounts so that they can look at other people’s. Neither actively engage by following anyone either. Follow their dad’s advice.

A friend’s DS is applying to the police at the moment - they also vet applicant’s social media PLUS that of your immediate family members and those of all the friends/followers in your SM profiles.

Tbh I think it’s time people woke up to the fact that SM is already being screened by all sorts of people in our lives and it’s time to tone down who we follow and what we say - or accept the consequences.

Of course "SM handles" means all your MN usernames ...