this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2023
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Privacy

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[EFF] Federal Judge Upholds State Department Rule Requiring Visa Applicants to Disclose Social Media Information (www.eff.org)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Summary

  • A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging a rule that requires visa applicants to disclose their social media accounts to the U.S. government.

  • The rule, which went into effect in 2019, applies to visa applicants from all countries.

  • The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, two U.S.-based documentary film organizations, argued that the rule violated the First Amendment rights of visa applicants.

  • It's unclear if the plaintiffs plan to appeal the ruling.

Additional Details

  • The rule requires visa applicants to disclose their social media identifiers, including pseudonymous accounts, for the past five years.

  • The plaintiffs argued that the rule would chill free speech and association, as visa applicants would be less likely to express themselves on social media if they knew that the government could see their posts.

  • The ruling is a reminder of the challenges faced by people who want to protect their privacy online.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I personally think you have to be careful. If they don't like your application and find that you are not disclosing the information, it might become a justification to reject the application. Remember that there are 3rd parties that massively correlate internet data that are sold to governments and corporations. Unless you accounts definitely cannot be linked to your real identity, there is a chance that they will find out what social accounts you have anyway.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

What color do you like? …

WRONG! Friend Computer says you like blue, yet here you are, saying you like red; oh, Mr John Smith is a common name in your region of Canada?

Likely story!!!

Or, maybe, you… are a lying communist.

VISA DENIED

Canadian is a communist who lied about their favorite color

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

And when they're asking you, they may already know. It's a test.