The White House is reportedly discussing whether to ask all foreign visitors to the US for information about their social media profiles and web history upon entering the country.
The news comes after President Trump signed an executive order preventing citizens of seven countries from entering the US, a decision which has sparked widespread protest. Migrants or visitors from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, countries with a largely Islamic population, will no longer be issued with visas and will be subject to increased border controls.
White House sources told CNN that the Trump administration has raised the possibility of asking foreign visitors to provide information about the websites they visit and the social media sites they use, as well as sharing the contacts stored in their mobile phones. If a visitor refuses to comply with this, they could be denied entry to the United States, although the sources add that the idea is still in its preliminary stages, and it is not yet clear how this policy would be put into practice.
According to CNN’s sources, the idea may have originated from Trump’s senior adviser Stephen Miller, who spoke to officials from the State Department, Customs and Border Patrol and Department of Homeland Security on Saturday, ‘urging’ them ‘not to get distracted by what he described as hysterical voices on TV,’ in reference to the widespread criticism of the ‘Muslim Ban.’
Miller believes such a measure would ensure that people arriving in America believe in ‘American values.’ Cases such as that of Tashfeen Malik, one of two perpetrators of the San Bernardino terror attack who posted about her ‘jihad’ on social media platforms, are cited as justification for such a move. Opponents, meanwhile, argue that such a process is a violation of privacy.
This is not the first time that the US government has asked visitors to provide information about their social media accounts, albeit on a voluntary basis. In December, Politico reported that the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (or ESTA, a form filled out by people from 38 countries around the world, including the UK, which allows them to stay in the US for up to 90 days without a visa) now has an optional section allowing visitors to include their social media handles.
At the time, Internet Association general counsel Abigail Slater argued that such a move sets a dangerous precedent, telling Politico, ‘Democratic and non-democratic countries – including those without the United States’ due process protections – will now believe they are more warranted in demanding social media information from visitors that could jeopardize visitors’ safety.’
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