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Step one, set all your social media to private. Step two, set your passwords to something horrendously complex and leave them at home when you travel. Step th

Step one, set all your social media to private. Step two, set your passwords to something horrendously complex and leave them at home when you travel. Step three, create a list of your account names on each service and carry it in your wallet. Step four, delete all social media apps, cookies, and sessions from all of your digital devices prior to traveling to the United States. Step five, set up a social network email address used solely for social networks, and change your email address on all social networks to this new address. Apply the same password and logout rules as above. Step six, when US border entry demands your account names, use the list in your wallet to provide them a complete list, including the email address linked to those social networks. When they demand the passwords, indicate that you use 64-character random passwords, and that they’re written on a piece of paper at home. You may or may not be denied entry, and you may or may not be detained, but those are the minimum steps you must take if you wish to defend your accounts from access. By using passwords you cannot memorize, you can truthfully and under oath declare that you do not know those passwords. If you have completed all of the above steps, you can only then proceed to delete your social network accounts. This will change nothing: you must still declare all of these accounts for many years, and adhere strictly to these rules until the reporting deadline expires. You will additionally then need to inform US agents that you deleted your accounts as they were being used by the US to violate your privacy. Do any less than this and you will find your data used by the United States government without your consent, against you and against others. You may still find everything you posted prior to deletion used against you. Do not lie. Either tell the truth or decline to answer. Best of luck. EDIT: For bonus points, secure the passwords in a safe and memorize the combination. When asked for the passwords, tell them where they’re stored and what the combination to the safe is. You will openly have complied and given them everything they need to access your accounts, and volunteering the safe combination indicates that you have nothing to hide from any investigation. They may still capriciously deny you entry, but they will have a very difficult time convincing anyone that you were obstructive, since you volunteered your safe combination of your own free will, and they will have a very difficult time securing a warrant for that safe without cause.

pvg 7y ago
That's a lot of steps for something that might not help you at all. You can be asked to list your social media accounts during the visa application process, not at the point of entry. Step six, especially, where it becomes quite obvious you are trying to 'hack' the process is probably worse than not doing anything. The bizarre thing about this story is that the student was stopped this late - getting a US student visa, especially for someone from that part of the world involves a fair bit of scrutiny.
- floatingatoll 7y ago
  There is no safe way to take action to delete your accounts without risking being denied entry to the US for having done so, unless you simply do not attempt to enter the US between when you delete your accounts and when the deadline for reporting those accounts expires. I’m assuming that people will, regardless, try to enter the US - after deleting their accounts, before the reporting period expires. If they have not taken these steps, they will be at risk of being compelled to divulge passwords and/or having their data inspected through a friend’s account. It’s too late to take the obvious best step, which was to delete all social media accounts immediately upon the announcement. All I can offer is steps that allow others^ to protect their privacy without having to intentionally withhold their passwords. If they truly care and consider you criminal, they will get an international warrant and retrieve the passwords. They may or may not detain or eject you, but at least you will have told the truth and never misled them, which counts for a great deal if the law becomes involved. ^ HN visitors are frequently quite obsessed with maintaining the privacy of their data, even when they voluntarily posted it to the Internet. I offer no criticism of this choice, but instead offer steps that they can take to exercise their desire for privacy without having to lie at a border crossing.
sliken 7y ago
What makes you think that twitter, facebook, and similar don't already provide access to the US government based on just the username?
- floatingatoll 7y ago

pvg 7y ago

That's a lot of steps for something that might not help you at all. You can be asked to list your social media accounts during the visa application process, not at the point of entry. Step six, especially, where it becomes quite obvious you are trying to 'hack' the process is probably worse than not doing anything. The bizarre thing about this story is that the student was stopped this late - getting a US student visa, especially for someone from that part of the world involves a fair bit of scrutiny.

floatingatoll 7y ago
There is no safe way to take action to delete your accounts without risking being denied entry to the US for having done so, unless you simply do not attempt to enter the US between when you delete your accounts and when the deadline for reporting those accounts expires. I’m assuming that people will, regardless, try to enter the US - after deleting their accounts, before the reporting period expires. If they have not taken these steps, they will be at risk of being compelled to divulge passwords and/or having their data inspected through a friend’s account. It’s too late to take the obvious best step, which was to delete all social media accounts immediately upon the announcement. All I can offer is steps that allow others^ to protect their privacy without having to intentionally withhold their passwords. If they truly care and consider you criminal, they will get an international warrant and retrieve the passwords. They may or may not detain or eject you, but at least you will have told the truth and never misled them, which counts for a great deal if the law becomes involved. ^ HN visitors are frequently quite obsessed with maintaining the privacy of their data, even when they voluntarily posted it to the Internet. I offer no criticism of this choice, but instead offer steps that they can take to exercise their desire for privacy without having to lie at a border crossing.

sliken 7y ago

What makes you think that twitter, facebook, and similar don't already provide access to the US government based on just the username?

floatingatoll 7y ago