EFF to Department Homeland Security: No Social Media Surveillance of Immigrants
a year ago
- #privacy
- #free_speech
- #immigration
- EFF opposes DHS and USCIS proposal to collect social media identifiers on immigration forms, citing privacy and free speech concerns.
- The proposed rule would require social media disclosure on nine forms, affecting over 3.5 million people annually, for identity verification and national security screening.
- USCIS also announced it would deny immigration benefits for 'antisemitic activity' on social media, though not explicitly part of the proposed rule.
- A joint initiative called 'Catch and Revoke' uses AI to monitor student visa holders' social media for 'pro-Hamas' or 'antisemitic' content.
- Similar social media collection policies were implemented in 2019 by the State Department, affecting 14.7 million people annually and now under litigation.
- The new rule targets noncitizens legally residing in the U.S., who have constitutional protections.
- EFF argues social media surveillance aggregates personal data, chilling free speech and associational rights, especially for political or controversial topics.
- The proposal may force applicants to self-censor to avoid scrutiny, impacting core political speech and anonymous expression.
- EFF urges DHS and USCIS to abandon the proposal to protect privacy and free speech rights.