>The new questions are reportedly voluntary, but the form says that failure to provide the information may delay or prevent the processing of an individual visa application.
What I suspect will happen is that if you are European with typical European name, probably no delay if you don't report. If you are from a Muslim country, visa is denied.
This kind of thing is typical for autocratic governments. You make lots of rules and regulations that are typically not enforced. Their sole purpose is to cause difficulties for people rulers don't like. "We just follow the regulations."
As someone who has to travel to the USA for business I welcome all this activity - it is so much more enjoyable to have the seat next to you empty when you fly. I do wonder how long the airlines can continue to fly on half load.
What makes you think most people wouldn't voluntarily give over the social media accounts? It's really only people on HN that cares about that kind of privacy.
If anything, you'll get stuck with the annoying people who are proud of their social media accounts.
Social media companies need to fight this. If they don't and it becomes widespread all my SM accounts will be deleted and I'm sure I won't be the only one. I'm not wasting time having two accounts or taking chances lying. I'm just going to delete the accounts. Global travel + my privacy is more important to me.
It already has in NYC. Look up hotel room rates tonight for Manhattan, they're in the $150s even for full service hotels. In my experience, for a sunny summer Saturday night in Manhattan, a lot of hotels used to have minimum 2 night stay restrictions, and only Sat nights would be $300+ per night. There were tons of more rooms built, but still, demand was not expected to drop this quickly this much.
Why is everybody blaming this on the current administration?
That doesn't seem to be especially true (so far here people are mostly discussing the details of the implementation).
In any case, the current administration is responsible for choosing to continue existing policies. That doesn't make the current administration solely responsible for the trajectory of US immigration policy, but it shares the power to change things with Congress and so will of course be a focus of criticism.
I think it is a confluence of factors, and the continued strength of the USD compared to other currencies could certainly be playing a role in it, however, it's also true that the current federal government does not portray an inviting image to foreigners, especially of a certain demographic.
What is really worrying though is the normalization of privacy devaluation. Soon the uk will follow suite and then others. And sooner than later we ll be "back" to 1984
"Consular officials can now request all prior passport numbers, five years of social media handles, email addresses and phone numbers from applicants, as well as addresses, employment and travel history stretching back 15 years"
Heck, I don't even keep records of my old passport numbers and much less travel history stretching back 15 years. As I travel weekly or bi-weekly, the list is not easily remembered or reconstructed. Does travel include ferry, boat, car or bike rides or is it just air travel?
I don't use Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/etc, but ordinary people seldom believe it ("come on, you are a programmer, how come you don't use web?!") and often assume I don't want to share my profile with them. I'm afraid the gov agencies will take the same approach and automatically assume the absence of the social media as an attempt to hide something. Luckily in this case, though, I hope not to have to visit USA anytime soon.
Hmm, this is worrying. Certainly makes it less appealing to move to the US any time soon.
Though I also wonder whether you can avoid this by simply having two accounts, one with a fake name and details that the controversial stuff goes on and one with your real name that's mostly squeaky clean. How much do they research this stuff?
The problem then is that you've made a knowily declared false information which itself is a crime a could reasonably be used to investigate further. If you wish to visit the US these are the rules you have to accept. Personally I've decided to not attend conferences in the US or visit for the foreseeable future.
You might be able to but it's probably not a good idea unless you really have bad stuff on the other account. Lying to border patrol is a great way to be detained or even rejected at the border.
This was already "optional" information requested in the ESTA application since at least last year, so what's changed since? That it states more explicit that a failure to enter the information could prevent you from getting approved?
Especially our HN accounts where we say the NSA/TSA/FBI are threats to our safety (depending on context) and we use false names with burner phone-based authentication on Facebook. Honest question, I still wonder what is so bad that I'm now using the same protections as criminals, apart from hiding that I don't want to be tracked.
No mention of them requiring a password as well though.
I wonder what happens when I don't remember -- I deleted my facebook account over a year ago, and legitimately don't remember my handle. All I can say is that my usual username (hobarrera) was taken.
Yeah they need to fill in the ESTA forms which asks for social media. Last time I saw the form it was marked as optional though - unsure whether that part changed
[+] [-] merricksb|8 years ago|reply
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14465534 (84 points, 50 comments)
[+] [-] nabla9|8 years ago|reply
What I suspect will happen is that if you are European with typical European name, probably no delay if you don't report. If you are from a Muslim country, visa is denied.
This kind of thing is typical for autocratic governments. You make lots of rules and regulations that are typically not enforced. Their sole purpose is to cause difficulties for people rulers don't like. "We just follow the regulations."
[+] [-] rogerbraun|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] danieltillett|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] msl09|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Svip|8 years ago|reply
If anything, you'll get stuck with the annoying people who are proud of their social media accounts.
[+] [-] k-mcgrady|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] scarlac|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Neliquat|8 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] heisenbit|8 years ago|reply
At one point these trends will be impacting main street but by then it will be too late.
[+] [-] lotsofpulp|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] eddyg|8 years ago|reply
from June 2016:
Agency Information Collection Activities: Arrival and Departure Record (Forms I-94 and I-94W) and Electronic System for Travel Authorization [1]
Comments were accepted up until August 22, 2016 on the proposed changes.
[1] https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/06/23/2016-14...
[+] [-] maxerickson|8 years ago|reply
That doesn't seem to be especially true (so far here people are mostly discussing the details of the implementation).
In any case, the current administration is responsible for choosing to continue existing policies. That doesn't make the current administration solely responsible for the trajectory of US immigration policy, but it shares the power to change things with Congress and so will of course be a focus of criticism.
[+] [-] lotsofpulp|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Neliquat|8 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] razzaj|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] draugadrotten|8 years ago|reply
Heck, I don't even keep records of my old passport numbers and much less travel history stretching back 15 years. As I travel weekly or bi-weekly, the list is not easily remembered or reconstructed. Does travel include ferry, boat, car or bike rides or is it just air travel?
[+] [-] lotsofpulp|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] highprofit|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] maga|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] CM30|8 years ago|reply
Though I also wonder whether you can avoid this by simply having two accounts, one with a fake name and details that the controversial stuff goes on and one with your real name that's mostly squeaky clean. How much do they research this stuff?
[+] [-] tempay|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ocschwar|8 years ago|reply
That way they can have a pretext for nabbing you whenever convenient.
[+] [-] astrodust|8 years ago|reply
It probably depends on how subjectively "suspicious" you seem, which is to say, how non-white you sound or look.
Something tells me actual threats Like Jeremy Christian probably won't be given a second glance.
[+] [-] tdb7893|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] polack|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dboreham|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] discombobulate|8 years ago|reply
People's freedom is being eroded an inch at a time! (Or ~2.5 cm if you prefer the metric system).
[+] [-] steve371|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tajen|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Keyframe|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] hobarrera|8 years ago|reply
I wonder what happens when I don't remember -- I deleted my facebook account over a year ago, and legitimately don't remember my handle. All I can say is that my usual username (hobarrera) was taken.
[+] [-] kzrdude|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Havoc|8 years ago|reply