You Shouldn't Have to Make Your Social Media Public to Get a Visa
9 months ago
- #immigration
- #privacy
- #social_media
- Trump administration requires student and exchange visa applicants to set social media accounts to 'public' for government review.
- Refusal to comply may be interpreted as an attempt to hide online activity.
- Policy violates privacy by forcing applicants to expose personal information to the public and government.
- Social media profiles contain intimate details like political views, religious beliefs, and health information.
- Government can surveil applicants' social media even after the visa process, storing data for decades.
- Public accounts expose sensitive information to bad actors, including identity thieves and foreign governments.
- Private accounts are often maintained for safety, professional boundaries, and personal privacy.
- Domestic violence survivors, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals rely on privacy settings for protection.
- Activists and journalists use privacy settings to avoid harassment and political persecution.
- Policy targets political speech, with vague directives to vet 'hostile attitudes'.
- Social media surveillance lacks evidence of effectiveness in identifying security threats.
- Mass surveillance undermines freedom of speech and chills online expression.