New U.S. visa form to require to disclose social media accounts and handles Save for later Reblogpost

The new United States visa form (DS-160 non-immigrant form) will require all who apply to a visa to disclose all their social media profiles and handles right on the form if a proposal by the U.S. State Department passes. The public will have 60 days to comment on this proposal, your comments can be sent to the PRA_BurdenComments@state.gov email address.

“Upon approval, the Department will seek to discontinue the existing collection for form DS-156.”

“One question lists multiple social media platforms andrequires the applicant to provide any identifiers used by applicants for those platformsduring the five years preceding the date of application. The platforms listed may beupdated by the Department by adding or removing platforms.”

2 days ago I have reported on the CLOUD Act which was included in the omnibus spending bill which gives permission to U.S. authorities to easily request both domestic and foreign data on citizens (including foreigns) from companies and service providers based in the United States (for instance: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, GMail, Google browsing history and others). It may be a deliberate attempt by the decision makers who just recently updated the visa forms.

“The Department will collect this information from visaapplicants for identity resolution and vetting purposes based on statutory visa eligibilitystandards;”

The whole document can be accessed at: https://linkyou.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2018-06496.pdf

The additional data given to officials by this updated U.S. visa form could and will be used to identify not just extremists, but also “bad apples”, people who disagree with the official government stance on issues and world events, and could be punished by not allowing them entry into the United States. Smaller European, Oceanian and Asian bloggers and reporters who belong in the alternative media could be very badly hit by this new amendment to the DS-160 non-immigrant form, especially if they lack the reach and the following to bring attention to their rejected visas in the future.