The Trump administration is continuing its dangerous push to surveil and suppress foreign students’ social media activity. The State Department recently announced an unprecedented new requirement that applicants for student and exchange visas must set all social media accounts to “public” for...
  • @[email protected]English
    44•3 days ago

    if applicants refuse to unlock their accounts or otherwise don’t maintain a social media presence, the government may interpret it as an attempt to evade the requirement or deliberately hide online activity.

    Here I was, wondering why people don’t just say they don’t have a social media account.

    • @[email protected]English
      21•3 days ago

      So I have to create a Facebook account just to enter the country? It was bad enough having unrelated websites demand it.

      Good thing I have no plans to ever visit again. Elbows up.

      • @[email protected]English
        30•3 days ago

        if applicants … don’t maintain a social media presence, the government may interpret it as an attempt to evade the requirement or deliberately hide online activity.

        Presumably it’s disqualifying.

          • @[email protected]English
            2•3 days ago

            A separate cable, obtained by multiple news outlets, directed embassies and consulates to vet applicants for “hostile attitudes towards our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles”

            …

            Applicants for student and exchange visas will now have their “entire online presence” vetted, per the cable reportedly said. If students refuse to change their accounts to “public” and “limited access to, or visibility of, online presence could be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity.”

            Seems like a reasonable assumption to me

            • @[email protected]
              1•3 days ago

              I don’t see how that even implies that not having a presence in the first place is inherently a red flag…

              • @[email protected]English
                1•3 days ago

                limited access to, or visibility of, online presence could be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity

                Do you really not? Can you not connect the dots between “limited access to, or visibility of, online presence” and not having a social media account? Do you truly not understand how these two things are related?

                • @[email protected]
                  0•3 days ago

                  I understand how people can infer subjective conclusions, but I don’t agree that it objectively says as much.

      • @[email protected]
        2•3 days ago

        I guess nobody can really know for sure, but in my opinion, if you truly don’t have anything, nothing happens, as that’s what they want, complacency.

        I think EFF is just what-ifing things they could theoretically do in the future… which they do a lot. Not saying EFF is bad, but they do speculate a lot. Sometimes it’s a good thing though.

    • @[email protected]English
      4•3 days ago

      I’ve recently deleted all my accounts except here - Now I look guilty by lack of social media.