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I don’t even know that I could come up with such a list. Setting everything to “public”, likewise, has potential implications far beyond a visa, since scraping

I don’t even know that I could come up with such a list. Setting everything to “public”, likewise, has potential implications far beyond a visa, since scraping can happen real fast. Then, things on the Internet live like… more than forever, potentially resurfacing later. That could be a potential employer, romantic interest, etc.—and just consider how things from 10-20 years ago have already resurfaced for some high-profile individuals, under some new social cause or just attitude change. The same thing can happen to any of us under these circumstances, ready to ruin lives.

oneeyedpigeon 1y ago
Some people set their social media profiles to less-than-public for very good reasons: e.g. they have protected characteristics and often experience online abuse as a result. This is basically saying "if you're the victim of bigots, you can't come to the US".
mihaaly 1y ago
I recall in 2014 when we sought travel authorization/visa with my later wife it asked about social media accounts. Well, my memory can fool me, my recollection could be wrong. Anyhow, I had this thought around then, related or unrelated, while already starting to pull back social media presence, not necessarily for the security concerns less serious than today, but for the negative security potentials and also due to the increadible noise and low quality flow of inflated self promotion started to repelled me, so I had this thought then that not having the 'normal' online presence could be disadvantageous in applying to state bodies for some favour or permission. Should I pretend something? Should I have a twitter account and broadcast each and every opinion of mine for the space of the internet? Otherwise I could be the freak, the unusual, the weird, who does not fit the normal profile and becomes suspicious? 'What is he hiding?!', could be the thought if I do not have the right amount of online presence expected? That time we did not have to worry about setting everything public, we figured US officials will have access regardless, if they really want to. ;)

oneeyedpigeon 1y ago

Some people set their social media profiles to less-than-public for very good reasons: e.g. they have protected characteristics and often experience online abuse as a result. This is basically saying "if you're the victim of bigots, you can't come to the US".

mihaaly 1y ago

I recall in 2014 when we sought travel authorization/visa with my later wife it asked about social media accounts. Well, my memory can fool me, my recollection could be wrong. Anyhow, I had this thought around then, related or unrelated, while already starting to pull back social media presence, not necessarily for the security concerns less serious than today, but for the negative security potentials and also due to the increadible noise and low quality flow of inflated self promotion started to repelled me, so I had this thought then that not having the 'normal' online presence could be disadvantageous in applying to state bodies for some favour or permission. Should I pretend something? Should I have a twitter account and broadcast each and every opinion of mine for the space of the internet? Otherwise I could be the freak, the unusual, the weird, who does not fit the normal profile and becomes suspicious? 'What is he hiding?!', could be the thought if I do not have the right amount of online presence expected? That time we did not have to worry about setting everything public, we figured US officials will have access regardless, if they really want to. ;)