8 ms·

What if I don't have any social media accounts? Do the officials just assume I'm lying and deny me entry? This is insanity.

by Tharre 10y ago

x1798DE 10y ago
Alternatively, what if you do have such accounts and don't know the passwords? I keep all my passwords in a password manager, and if I'm crossing a border, I'm probably going to make sure I can't access it until after I'm across. I'll guessing the right thing to do, if you know about this requirement, is to set up a Facebook account specifically for this purpose, then right before you cross a border, change its password to something easy to remember.
- roywiggins 10y ago
  They'll make you sign something that asserts you don't have any other social media accounts, and now you've lied to a federal agent, oops.
x0x0 10y ago
You know what's better? Other countries will follow our lead and demand the same. Particularly of American visitors. And why should they not?
- adventured 10y ago
  You act like that's some kind of revelation. Countries such as France, Britain, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Australia, India, Russia and China are already on par with or beyond the US when it comes to abusive domestic espionage.
  - hellofunk 10y ago
    You can't make a statement like that without backing it up. The evidence to the contrary is in greater favor until you provide support.
skewart 10y ago
This was one of my first thoughts too. I deleted my Facebook account years ago. I almost never use Twitter. Would a border person believe me? Would I seem sketchy? Should I create a new Facebook account and post something banal every few weeks just so I can travel with peace of mind? That does seem insane. I can only assume this threat of asking visitors to grant government agencies complete and unfettered access to their online accounts was conceived by people who don't know how the internet works. There are just so many logistical problems with it at so many levels that it's hard to imagine it ever working in practice.

What if I don't have any social media accounts? Do the officials just assume I'm lying and deny me entry? This is insanity.

by Tharre 10y ago

What if I don't have any social media accounts? Do the officials just assume I'm lying and deny me entry? This is insanity.

x1798DE 10y ago

Alternatively, what if you do have such accounts and don't know the passwords? I keep all my passwords in a password manager, and if I'm crossing a border, I'm probably going to make sure I can't access it until after I'm across. I'll guessing the right thing to do, if you know about this requirement, is to set up a Facebook account specifically for this purpose, then right before you cross a border, change its password to something easy to remember.

roywiggins 10y ago
They'll make you sign something that asserts you don't have any other social media accounts, and now you've lied to a federal agent, oops.

x0x0 10y ago

You know what's better? Other countries will follow our lead and demand the same. Particularly of American visitors. And why should they not?

adventured 10y ago
You act like that's some kind of revelation. Countries such as France, Britain, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Australia, India, Russia and China are already on par with or beyond the US when it comes to abusive domestic espionage.
- hellofunk 10y ago
  You can't make a statement like that without backing it up. The evidence to the contrary is in greater favor until you provide support.

skewart 10y ago

This was one of my first thoughts too. I deleted my Facebook account years ago. I almost never use Twitter. Would a border person believe me? Would I seem sketchy? Should I create a new Facebook account and post something banal every few weeks just so I can travel with peace of mind? That does seem insane. I can only assume this threat of asking visitors to grant government agencies complete and unfettered access to their online accounts was conceived by people who don't know how the internet works. There are just so many logistical problems with it at so many levels that it's hard to imagine it ever working in practice.