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HomeFront PageUS State Department requires Visa applicants to submit 5-year social media history

US State Department requires Visa applicants to submit 5-year social media history

 

MDN WORLD digital, June 9 – Is this bad or good news for travelers? The United States on Friday (June 7) announced the new travel requirement for people visiting America, to submit their 5-year social media history.

Although not all VISA applicants are reuired to submit but those who are required to submit by the US State Department must provide their social media usernames, email addresses and phone numbers that they've used for the last five years when applying. 

This new requirement, however, was condemned by several sectors and advocate groups, adding that this is impingement and a clear and dangerous move by the Trump administration to supress rights to privacy.  

In the past, there were selected number of Visa applicants who'd been required to submit more requirements for additional scrutiny but now close to 15 million Visa applicants would be affected by the new rule or policy change.

An official of the US State Department told reporters that the new police change was based on Trump's Memorandum issued in 2017 which reportedly called for “uniform baseline for screening and vetting standards and procedures.”

“We already request certain contact information, travel history, family member information, and previous addresses from all visa applicants,” the department said in a statement, per The New York Times. “We are constantly working to find mechanisms to improve our screening processes to protect U.S. citizens, while supporting legitimate travel to the United States,” the State Department official was quoted as saying.

Hina Shamsi, one of those who have reservations of the new change in policy has considered this as "dangerous and problematic proposal." Shamsi was the director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project 

It “does nothing to protect security concerns but raises significant privacy concerns and First Amendment issues for citizens and immigrants,” Shamsi told the Times. “Research shows that this kind of monitoring has chilling effects, and people are less likely to speak freely and connect with each others in online communities that are now essential to modern life.” ###

 

 

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ABOUT JOEL
Joel Calamba Escol is a journalist since 1991, author and all around person. He plays billiards, paints, does some comic illustrations, cartoons and likes watching CNN and AljazeraTV. He is also an SEO expert. When he's not working, you'll find him gaming and watching hard action movies. He's a total sucker of news and current events. 

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Joel Escol
Joel Escolhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK_sKdGFs0ewIh9R-iAskDg
Joel Calamba Escol is a journalist in the Philippines for more than 20 years. Currently, he is the Managing Editor of Mindanao Daily News, the biggest and most-widely read newspaper in Southern Philippines. He is also known as Noypi Vlogger in Youtube. You can follow him on the following social networking sites below.
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