Freshman Representative Serves Up Immigration Bill That Would Make The DHS Do Things It Already Does
from the voted-'most-likely-to-kiss-ass' dept
In what looks to be the FNG currying favor with the new boss, rookie Congressman Jim Banks is introducing a bill that would turn the DHS's social media prying from something it would like to do to something it has to do.
Congressman Jim Banks (IN-03) today will introduce the Visa Investigation and Social Media Act (VISA) of 2017, legislation to strengthen the vetting process for visa applicants. The bill is the first piece of legislation that Congressman Banks will introduce.
While CBP and DHS have been asking incoming foreigners for social media info for a while now, the process has been voluntary -- or at least as voluntary as any process can be when one side holds all the power. New DHS Secretary John Kelly suggested this would expand further in the near future, moving from requests for social media handles to demands for account passwords.
Rep. Banks appears to be making a move to codify the DHS's requests for social media info. It doesn't go so far as to demand account passwords, but it would make examination of foreigners' social media accounts part of the vetting process. The bill's text hasn't been posted yet, but here's what Rep. Banks' website says the legislation will include.
The VISA Act of 2017 would require the Department of Homeland Security to include the following in the background check of any individual applying for a visa to the United States:
A review of the applicant’s publicly available social media activity (i.e. public tweets, YouTube videos, Facebook photos and posts);
An interview of each applicant who is age eleven years or older;
A fraud-prevention check of each applicant’s documentation; and
A requirement that the applicant provide an English translation of his or her documentation.
Rep. Banks says this is no different than the process companies use to vet new hires. That's a truly bogus comparison. While some companies view applicants' social media posts when considering them for employment, very few are demanding social media account information as part of the application process. Those that do tend to drop the policies as soon as they're made public. (And child labor laws pretty much rule out interviews of tweens and teens.)
What's most troubling about this new rep's bill is its complete uselessness. The only real change it makes is dropping three years from the interview requirement (from 14 to 11). Everything else is something Customs already does. Vetting of social media posts has been part of the process for months. Banks' bill just makes it a requirement for the DHS to perform social media checks on all applicants. The legal ball will get pushed downhill, which will force applicants to hand over this info. ("In compliance with [insert US Code info here], DHS/CBP require applicants to provide social media account information, etc.") This may make it easier for the DHS to start demanding passwords, but the bill limits itself to public posts.
As for the rest of it, it's completely redundant. Extensive background checks are run on all applicants against several databases and Customs has required an English translation of visa applicants' documentation for years.
Banks likes corporate analogies so he should be aware his effort looks like a new hire trying to make his mark -- not by being a valuable addition to the company -- but by enthusiastically offering up worthless suggestions that signal your "Company Man" virtues to upper management.
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Filed Under: dhs, jim banks, social media, visas
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Is law easier to fight than regulation?
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Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, oh look, it is a duck.
Besides, DHS/CPB officers response will axiomatically be "What do you mean you don't have social media accounts? Ahahaha, tell me another 'cause your not getting in until you get one."
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no shocker here
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think of the fucking kids you pervert!
I am just waiting for the day government gets to install video cameras in every room of your house... we have to make sure you are not up to anything after all... everyone has a right to a SAFE SOCIETY!
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Also, I could see non-US social media companies becoming more popular. VKotakte (Russia), Dailymotion(France) and 220.ro (Romania) are not subject to American laws, so DHS/CBP cannot make those companies hand over any information to them, since the servers are not in America.
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Perhaps with just a minor addition...
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Re: Perhaps with just a minor addition...
trying to stick shit in where it does not belong!
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Re: Perhaps with just a minor addition...
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Makes you wonder
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Re: Makes you wonder
Oh & the Congress critter hasn't bother defining what Social Media is, so apparently anything goes.
Is Techdirt defined as Social Media or just another news site with BTL commentary allowed?
Do letters to the editor count as social media, or calling in on talkback radio??
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Re: Re: Makes you wonder
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Sorry
We'll get this whole "electing competent representatives" and "providing qualified Vice Presidents" thing right at some point...
I blame not being able to buy beer on Sunday.
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Also, one could scrub their hard disks with something like KillDisk, which is a good idea anyway.
I like to take road trips all over North America. However, with the electronics I carry, including 3 cell phones, each with its own specific purpose, and two laptops, that is bound to make me more likely to be taken into secondary when crossing the border into either Caanada or the United States, so I killdisk my laptops and factory reset my phones, before crossing the border, not knowing what might either can be denied entry or land me in the local jail. So to be safe, I "sanitize" my laptops and cell phones before crossing the border into either the United States or Canada.
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Malware and stuff like that can bring stuff onto your gear you did not know was there, so I killdisk my laptops and then quickly restore Windows and all my programs. And I always reinstall the apps on my phones ater wiping them, so it will not be as obvious that I wiped my phones.
True, if I wiped my gear and then just reinstalled the OS without installing all my programs, it might raise some suspicion, but if I reinstall all of my programs, that fact that I killdisked the machines would not be detected.
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I know this because I wanted to do my own monologues of road trips I take and post them to YouTube, but YouTube does not let you post videos over a certain length, unless you hand over your mobile phone number, which I did not like, so I deleted the YouTube videos I did have, and found they were in the index for about 24 hours or so. It took about 24 hours for the videos to be removed from the directory.
So, if there are any YouTube videos you would not want CBP to see, just delete them at least 24 hours before attempting to enter the USA, to give YouTube's servers enough time to remove them from the index.
Another good idea is to use Social Media whose servers are not based in the United States. 220.ro and Dailymotion are good example. Since they are not based in the United States, they are not subject to US laws, and the US government cannot make them hand over any of your details. Dailymtion(France) and 222.to (Romania) are not subject to American laws.
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And another thing you might want to do if they want to see your viewing history is to clear your YouTube viewing history before entering the United States, so that if they demand your password, they will see see, in your account, what you have been watching. On the history page of your account, there is a button called Clear Watch History. That will prevent them from seeing what you are watching.
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"While some companies view applicants' social media posts when considering them for employment, very few are demanding social media account information as part of the application process"
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Re: "While some companies view applicants' social media posts when considering them for employment, very few are demanding social media account information as part of the application process"
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