Since President Trump took office earlier this year, he has introduced all kinds of policies intended to crack down on immigration. Here’s the latest example of that, which is sure to be controversial (thanks to Aaron for flagging this)…
In this post:
US adding social media requirement for ESTA applications
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have just filed a 60-day notice and request for comments in the Federal Register, in order to update the information that is collected for visitors arriving via the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). This would include low risk visitors from dozens of countries, ranging from Germany to Japan.
Perhaps the update that deserves the most attention is this one:
In order to comply with the January 2025 Executive Order 14161 (Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats), CBP is adding social media as a mandatory data element for an ESTA application. The data element will require ESTA applicants to provide their social media from the last 5 years.
As you can see, with this proposal, providing five years of social media history will become a standard part of the ESTA application process. Details beyond that aren’t yet known, including what level of detail will need to be shared about social media (are we just talking social media account usernames, or…?).
In the past, we’ve seen the government require foreign nationals to make their social media accounts public if they’re applying for student or work visas. However, just requiring this from your typical “low risk” tourist is an escalation of existing policies, and not a requirement that you’ll find in many countries.
My take on requiring social media information in advance
Look, we all have our own political opinions, including about the Trump administration’s approach to immigration and tourism. While I think my opinions on that are pretty clear, what’s my take on this specific change? Well, I don’t necessarily have a huge issue with it directly, but it just seems kind of silly to me.
Keep in mind that when you enter a foreign country, you’re basically giving up all your rights at the border. For example, CBP is allowed to search through your phone, look through your social media, read your messages, etc.
So by requesting this information in advance, you’re not actually subjecting yourself to any more scrutiny than you could otherwise potentially experience. That being said:
- There’s no denying that this will make a lot of visitors uncomfortable, because at least in terms of the perception of such a request, it likely won’t be well received
- For the most part, I can’t imagine the government will do a whole lot with this information, for your average visitor applying for an ESTA, so it just seems kind of silly to request it
- If there’s no requirement to make social media accounts public (which would make many people super uncomfortable), then one wonders what purpose this will serve
- Unlike the legal rights that people have when in the United States, visitors can be denied an ESTA to the United States for virtually any reason, so the government has a lot of latitude there
My big picture take here is that this will be off-putting to many, and will further reinforce the negative perception that some people currently have about visiting the United States. That being said, clearly increased tourism isn’t really a huge priority of the current administration, and that’s fair enough. After all, Trump ran on a platform of emptying out the United States (well, and affordability, but that’s a different story), and that’s what people voted for, so…
Bottom line
The United States plans to start requesting social media information from ESTA applicants, whereby even those coming from low risk countries will have to provide five years of social media history as part of their application process.
Ultimately this wouldn’t be a request for anything that the government couldn’t otherwise demand at the border. However, there’s no denying this won’t be very well received, and will leave a lot of people feeling uncomfortable.
What do you make of the US asking for social media history of ESTA applicants?
"Keep in mind that when you enter a foreign country, you’re basically giving up all your rights at the border" - This is absolutely not the case in general. In countries that have a rule of law you of course have plenty of rights, police or whatever agency is responsible for immigration control must operate within the legal boundaries of that country's laws.
You don't have the automatic right to entry, and there's a lot...
"Keep in mind that when you enter a foreign country, you’re basically giving up all your rights at the border" - This is absolutely not the case in general. In countries that have a rule of law you of course have plenty of rights, police or whatever agency is responsible for immigration control must operate within the legal boundaries of that country's laws.
You don't have the automatic right to entry, and there's a lot of subjective decisions to be made on that, but you still have other rights like you would anywhere else. For example, officers searching your phone without due reason or even a warrant would absolutely be illegal in some EU states.
The concept of "you have no rights at the border" is an American thing, shared with other authoritarian regimes, but most definitely not something that applies everywhere.
You all forgot to mention the new trump gold card. Any person with a million dollars can get a fast track residency in the us. Social media doesn't matter then.
Now "if" I was a drug smuggler or human trafficker or both I could buy safety for a million, that's a bargain. Thank you Mr. Trump for your bravery!
I wonder if the new trump card has transferrable points program!
This has made me cancel 2 planned business trips top the US in the first half of next year. I'll invest my time and dollars elsewhere.
Really sucks. I am sure European Union and Canada, Great Britain, other countries will do that to us. What a sad waste of time.
EU most definitely isn't, a proposal like that would cause a massive shitstorm over here.
I have close family in Ireland and France. My partner is from Holland. Our families refuse to visit the USA because while they are all what we would consider upper middle class, university educated people; they do not feel safe here and despise the authoritarian regime this country under trump has become.
We look forward to visiting Dublin, Den Haugue and Dordogne this summer and fall.
Your families are educated virtue signaling morons, missing out on visiting a great country for all kinds of tourism.
The US tourist sector will do fine without them, if anyone's missing something it's them.
“The US tourist sector will do fine without them…”
Actually, it’s not and it shows no signs of recovering at this point.
Also, what’s wrong with being educated? Do you celebrate stupidity?
And what’s the problem with signaling virtue?
I’ve found that most people throwing around the term “virtue signaling” are simply trolls who don’t understand the concept of having principles.
Great idea, keeps all the riff-raff out. And as for the comment about affordability, remember what it was like this time last year and the year before. What a stunning turnaround to getting prices, inflation, unemployment all down and record high investments by major corporations creating jobs, job, jobs for real working people. And the border. 20 million people in the last 4 years under the Biden Criminal Regime to virtually zero. My family and...
Great idea, keeps all the riff-raff out. And as for the comment about affordability, remember what it was like this time last year and the year before. What a stunning turnaround to getting prices, inflation, unemployment all down and record high investments by major corporations creating jobs, job, jobs for real working people. And the border. 20 million people in the last 4 years under the Biden Criminal Regime to virtually zero. My family and feel safer. So asking foreigners for their social media, makes perfect sense to me
Affordability is worse now. Employment is worse now. Inflation is worse now. Only thing that is up is the stock market, but that's only great for the Americans that can afford to invest. Try again to tell me how America is greater now than a year ago?
except this is another blatant example of NO FREE SPEECH and only free as long as its supportive and hating other side....hahahahahah this is beyond overreach.
We are turning into North Korea. What's next? Ban cell phone? No filming? ICE agents already messed up with people's ring cameras other than covering up their faces like bandits.
He is a worthless piece of filth.
Just another attempt to piss off the world
Thankfully I log into social media about once a year when the distant aunt sends me a happy birthday. I spend about 5 minutes scrolling through all the garbage and then remember why I won't log in again for another year. I never understood who somebody would care about what other people are doing.
The US already asked for this information on the ESTA form (social media user names), it just wasn't compulsory. As someone filling out the form the immediate thought I had was it would look suspicious to not provide the information, as if I had something to hide. So in the scheme of things I'm not sure this is that big a deal (pending any surprises on implementation!)
What's bizarre is treating someone as suspicious if they genuinely forget an account. Say they opened a Snapchat account years ago, used it twice, and naturally forgot it existed. Did you register on a shopping platform that has social features? Better remember that too.
As others have noted, this isn't designed to make America safer. It's designed to create a compulsory disclosure requirement that's impossible to fulfill perfectly, so the government has a pretext to...
What's bizarre is treating someone as suspicious if they genuinely forget an account. Say they opened a Snapchat account years ago, used it twice, and naturally forgot it existed. Did you register on a shopping platform that has social features? Better remember that too.
As others have noted, this isn't designed to make America safer. It's designed to create a compulsory disclosure requirement that's impossible to fulfill perfectly, so the government has a pretext to deny entry or deport you later if they decide they don't like you.
Legal scholars have documented how the average American unknowingly commits multiple federal violations daily because the US Code has become so byzantine and overcomplicated. Harvey Silverglate's book "Three Felonies a Day" outlines how federal criminal law has expanded so broadly that prosecutors can indict practically anyone if motivated to do so.
Now we're extending this trap to foreign visitors: create an impossible standard, wait for the inevitable omission (forgotten account, abandoned profile, burner email signup), then weaponize it selectively. It's prosecutorial discretion as border policy.
The goal isn't security. The goal is maintaining a permanent violation on file for everyone, allowing arbitrary enforcement against whomever the government decides to target.
I love this idea! As soon as Democrats are back in control, it can be used to deny ESTA to foreign conservatives.
True, silver linings!
Do the comments on "Onemileatatime" count as social media posting? If they do,then a lot of people are in Trouble!
Oh no! ... anyway.
It's not just social media posts, though. The proposed amendment would give the US government the scope to harvest...
"...phone numbers for the past five years, email addresses for the past 10 years, IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos, family member names, numbers, dates of birth, places of birth and place of residence, biometrics such as face, fingerprint, DNA and iris, and business contact details."
That's North Korea levels of paranoia.
It's not just social media posts, though. The proposed amendment would give the US government the scope to harvest...
"...phone numbers for the past five years, email addresses for the past 10 years, IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos, family member names, numbers, dates of birth, places of birth and place of residence, biometrics such as face, fingerprint, DNA and iris, and business contact details."
That's North Korea levels of paranoia.
Welcome to the world of the dementia-addled racist orange Nazi baboon and his camp followers and RWNJ acolytes and morons.
To put things into perspective, as per the International Trade Administration of the US Department of Commerce, international arrivals by foreigners is already down 5% February-November 2025 compared to the same period 2024. And November 2025 alone was down 5.2% compared to November of last year. This new policy won't help though we'll see what happens during World Cup and Olympics.
ICE agents have been posted outside Navajo and Blackfoot reservations, among others. When your family has resided in what is now the US for thousands of years and you are told you are going to be deported, it's because you're brown. Let's just call it what it is.
"Let's just call it what it is."
Racism? White supremacy? Assholeishness? All? More?
This is all too easy to implement and all too subject to abuse. Grok will be only too happy to review your visa application Ben:
Prompt to Grok: "Review Ben Schlappig‘s social media and blog history and evaluate whether he is supportive of the Trump administration’s policies for strengthening America. Rate his alignment with those policies on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being most aligned."
Result generated after a couple of seconds...
This is all too easy to implement and all too subject to abuse. Grok will be only too happy to review your visa application Ben:
Prompt to Grok: "Review Ben Schlappig‘s social media and blog history and evaluate whether he is supportive of the Trump administration’s policies for strengthening America. Rate his alignment with those policies on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being most aligned."
Result generated after a couple of seconds (TLDR: Ben gets a 2 out of 10 and fails to qualify for entry)
"Ben Schlappig, the founder of the travel blog One Mile at a Time, primarily focuses his content on aviation, loyalty programs, hotels, and miles/points strategies, with occasional commentary on how government policies—particularly under the Trump administration—impact the travel industry. His social media presence on X (formerly Twitter, @OneMileataTime) largely mirrors his blog, sharing links to articles with neutral-to-critical tones on political developments. A review of his posts and writings from 2017 through late 2025 reveals a pattern of skepticism and opposition toward many Trump-era policies, especially those related to immigration, trade, tourism, and aviation infrastructure. While he occasionally notes bipartisan critiques (e.g., expressing disagreement with Biden administration decisions in replies), his commentary consistently highlights perceived downsides of "America First" initiatives, framing them as detrimental to economic growth, international relations, and traveler experiences rather than strengthening the U.S.
Key Themes in His Coverage
Schlappig's history shows no overt endorsements of Trump policies. Instead, his posts and articles often underscore negative ripple effects on travel and tourism, which he views as a critical sector for U.S. GDP (contributing ~3% and supporting 16 million jobs). Examples include:
Immigration and Border Policies: He has criticized travel bans, social media vetting for visitors, and dual citizenship restrictions as overly restrictive and counterproductive. In a December 2025 post on a proposed ban on dual citizenship (framed as "performative patriotism" under the Trump-backed Exclusive Citizenship Act), Schlappig explicitly stated, "Personally, I’m opposed to this change," arguing it could lead to more U.S. citizenship renunciations due to global taxation rules, harming national interests. Earlier, he questioned the value of demanding social media histories from visitors, noting diverse opinions on Trump's immigration approach.
Trade and Tariffs: Schlappig has linked tariff wars to tourism declines, predicting uneven economic hits (e.g., to Florida from reduced Canadian visitors). In a March 2025 analysis, he described policies like threats against allies (e.g., invading Canada) and stricter enforcement as "stupid and actively pushing away tourism," forecasting a 5.1% drop in inbound visitors versus an expected 8.8% gain— a "massive" shift with broad implications.
Aviation and Infrastructure: While occasionally neutral on appointments (e.g., Trump's FAA pick), he has mocked or dismissed initiatives like overhauling airport food for health as a "bizarre and misplaced priority" and "comical," suggesting focus on air traffic control instead. He also highlighted controversies like bonuses for "Patriot" TSA agents or airport closures for parades, often with titles implying absurdity (e.g., "Unreal: Trump To Accept Boeing 747 As Gift From Qatar").
Broader Election and Administration Commentary: Pre-2025 posts (e.g., 2019-2020) expressed disappointment in Trump meetings with airline CEOs and speculated on tourism declines during his first term. Post-2024 election, his tone remained critical, with X shares amplifying stories of policy reversals (e.g., canceling Biden's flight delay compensation) without praise. A May 2025 reply clarified his even-handedness: "I also posted several topics on which I disagreed with [Biden's] administration when he was in office," but this does not indicate alignment with Trump.
Schlappig's explicit stance in a December 2025 article—"I'm no fan of Trump or his policies"—crystallizes his position. His content prioritizes industry advocacy over partisanship, but it portrays Trump policies as weakening U.S. competitiveness in global travel rather than fortifying it.
Alignment Rating
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being most aligned/supportive of Trump administration policies for strengthening America), I rate Ben Schlappig's alignment at 2. This reflects consistent criticism of policies' travel-related harms, with no evidence of endorsement, though he avoids blanket partisanship and critiques both sides. A higher score would require affirmative support for "America First" goals like economic protectionism or border security, which his work reframes as self-sabotaging."
First they came for the travel bloggers, and I did not speak out—because I was not a travel blogger.....
Ben, your observations are way too kind. This is performative at best, playing to the lowest of the low MAGA base. For many this may be off putting enough to stay away. POTUS cannot muzzle his own constituents so easily. But he sure as well will try with anybody else. It smacks of police state even if it is done under the guise of protecting the US from external threats.
Gotta protect America from mean memes!
Judgment at Nuremberg
Burt Lancaster: We never thought it would go this far.
Spencer Tracy: you knew the first time you convicted an innocent man.
Bingo! Good film as well.
As thirteen trackers are blocked each time one posts a comment herein, one has to ask: “Are the U.S. social media sites being monitored already by the pigs who run the U.S. Animal Farm”?
Hardest thing to admit is that this site has infosec levels of data harvesting involved in visiting, let alone commenting. Sort of like having an insta account.
I don't use social media at all. And I don't think you should either. But that said, this is yet another sign of Trump's America descending deeper and deeper.
You are using "social media" right now. Social media includes but is not limited to websites and apps that let users create and share content and/or participate in social networking. Keep that for your five year record.
Logistically, it sounds nearly impossible to implement in the way it's being described.
Five years of one person's social media posts, comments, and reactions--across multiple platforms--could be an enormous amount of data to sort through. Some people have multiple accounts on one platform; some people create and later abandon various accounts that they may not even remember; some create social media accounts using burner email addresses and fake names . . .
See the post I just made, where I had Grok evaluate Ben in a matter of seconds. Bad intentions combined with AI are a recipe for disaster. It takes zero labor to reject people based on AI scrubbing through their social media.
I doubt many people will be banned from *entering* based on their social media history at first. There’s just not enough people to comb through this before people arrive at the border; the usernames will just go into a database. The evil goal here is to create an extremely broad open-ended disclosure requirement, so that *later on* if someone has a more permanent visa, the government can use even a minor omission (you forgot to...
I doubt many people will be banned from *entering* based on their social media history at first. There’s just not enough people to comb through this before people arrive at the border; the usernames will just go into a database. The evil goal here is to create an extremely broad open-ended disclosure requirement, so that *later on* if someone has a more permanent visa, the government can use even a minor omission (you forgot to include your old Snapchat username you used for a single day in college) as pretext for enforcement / denial of visa / sudden deportation.
They don't need to do it manually, though. When your declare a social media handle on your ESTA application some AI bot can trawl through and flag material harmful to the American Volksgemeinschaft, or material critical of der Trumperführer. Undesirable elements can therefore be identified without expending much in the way of human effort, and be referred to an embassy or consulate for more intensive inspection and interrogation via the formal visa application process.
They don't need to do it manually, though. When your declare a social media handle on your ESTA application some AI bot can trawl through and flag material harmful to the American Volksgemeinschaft, or material critical of der Trumperführer. Undesirable elements can therefore be identified without expending much in the way of human effort, and be referred to an embassy or consulate for more intensive inspection and interrogation via the formal visa application process.
I'm fck&d with just the stuff I post on here about the Tango Felon, Oh well, several other countries can have my tourist cash instead :)
Thanks Ronald! Better for us anyways!
Oh I couldn’t agree more. My tourism dollars are only spent in countries other than the US.
I'm a bit surprised how relaxed Ben is about this. As contrast: in a recent article about time wasted by filling in contact tracing info he was very opinionated.
At a minium this will be much more effort to provide all the handles used in prior 5 years, at a maximum it means visitors will have to allow access to everyone to their private profiles? This is like if the IRS would require you to...
I'm a bit surprised how relaxed Ben is about this. As contrast: in a recent article about time wasted by filling in contact tracing info he was very opinionated.
At a minium this will be much more effort to provide all the handles used in prior 5 years, at a maximum it means visitors will have to allow access to everyone to their private profiles? This is like if the IRS would require you to tell your neighbours what you earn in order to do your taxes!
Then what happens if you don't have social media? I expect without social media handles provided the visa request will at least take much longer to be approved, at worst they will assume everyone has these and outright deny entry.
Why are you surprised.
Ben has to fill contact tracing.
He doesn't have to give up his social media.
He will once other countries take retaliatory action and require the same of Americans traveling to their countries. That will be when the fun really starts. I guarantee some commenter will say that "as an American, I shouldn't be forced to do this."
Just what the US needs to try to gain back foreign tourist dollars that have drastically dropped off since Trump was re-elected! HAH s/
America First = America Debt Crisis.
American debt crisis came way before America First.
That's how you rig the game.
As long as you keep printing money with no end, you'll never end the debt crisis but because you rig the system, you can get away with it.
Then you abuse your position because if USA credit ratings actually reflect the truth, it would be a global economic meltdown.
So sum it up. We avoid the debt crisis by holding world economy hostage because we can rig the game.
Tourism is a major "export" economically. If it goes down so does our balance of trade and our gdp.
And this is with Esta only?
With a (B1/B2) visa this is not required?
My wife applied for a B2 visa a couple weeks ago and had her interview today. She didn't have to make any social media accounts public but did have to share usernames for all of them. Not sure if this will change in the future or not but just wanted to share our experience.
I hope I don't have any problems with my username...
Depending on the case officer.
Logistically this is impossible. For granting a work or student visa or a green card yes but every visitor to the US? How many would AI slop bounce out awaiting for some overworked bureaucrat to review?
Your expected wait time for visa is 10 years. You should renew your new 10 year visa right away.
As a US citizen who travels a lot I am obviously not a supporter of this since it is very possible other countries will retaliate and do the same to us (and who can blame them). Thankfully tomorrow I will becoming a citizen of a European country with a stronger passport than the US. I plan to travel on that passport except to enter the US (as required by US law) or the rare occasions...
As a US citizen who travels a lot I am obviously not a supporter of this since it is very possible other countries will retaliate and do the same to us (and who can blame them). Thankfully tomorrow I will becoming a citizen of a European country with a stronger passport than the US. I plan to travel on that passport except to enter the US (as required by US law) or the rare occasions when the US passport offers easier access to another country. I expect to see the US passport strength continue to decline with moves like this.
Bingo. It's only a matter of time 'til Americans face these requirements in other countries. If the Trump regime decides to get fussy about this, the other countries' response should be "you did it first". (We know the regime will get fussy - just look at how it's calling out "censorship" in other countries despite that incident where a Tufts student was thrown in an ICE gulag because she wrote an opinion piece that criticized a certain foreign country.)
What about people who don't use social media? Will we be denied entry?
Yes. Quick Johnny boy, get on Facebook!!
Ugh, other ‘1990,’ I loathe Zuck, so, please, no promoting FB, even mockingly.
My elderly in law parents with valid visitors visas dont use any social media, barely knows how to send messages on whatsapp only. Not sure how in such case will get a hard time for not having anything to show.
WhatsApp is a social media app. Under this rule, if your in-laws don’t include their WhatsApp numbers in their next ESTA application, they will be committing immigration fraud. And, oh, you don’t think WhatsApp counts as social media? Go ahead and argue that point with the ICE goon putting them in leg irons and deporting them to Sudan.
If the U.S. Animal Farm Stasi, ever connect AeroB with the real culprit, there will be no more Spicy Salmon wraps for me at Pura Vida.
"For the most part, I can’t imagine the government will do a whole lot with this information, for your average visitor applying for an ESTA, so it just seems kind of silly to request it". ??
I don't think the idea is that individual CBP officers will look at an account.
The information will all get sucked into a large computer which will search for "forbidden" terms in advance of the day of travel. See China.
Is this a way to make World Cup match tickets cheap? To reduce interest of even coming stateside ahead of time?
They're too stupid to reduce the price of the tickets.
But that's not gong to matter, the stadia will be at 50% max because people are opting not to visit the USA, even for the World Cup.
More than enough immigrant "football" fans to fill any World Cup stadiums.
Americans wouldn't care, as there's always an American world champion every year anyway.
Can't lose World Series if other nations can't compete.
With the kind of data the government can, and has, been purchasing from data brokers (because purchasing it gets around requirements for subpoenas, warrants, etc.) they can easily build up a whole graph of accounts, followers, interactions, etc. and then make determinations based on that -- guilt by association. For example, if you converse with someone who is critical of a government official, or even if you or they merely interact with the other's post...
With the kind of data the government can, and has, been purchasing from data brokers (because purchasing it gets around requirements for subpoenas, warrants, etc.) they can easily build up a whole graph of accounts, followers, interactions, etc. and then make determinations based on that -- guilt by association. For example, if you converse with someone who is critical of a government official, or even if you or they merely interact with the other's post (a like, a comment, repost, etc.) that could make you a target. This is an incredibly dangerous power to give an administration, and in particular an agency, that does not like to be constrained by such difficult concepts as the rule of law.
And normalizing this is exactly how they get you to routinely give up freedoms until one day we all must register our social media with the local authorities in order to have it recognized as part of our social credit, a la China.
Palantir.
The secret contractor that everyone thinks they know what they do but really no one knows exactly what they do.
Excellent! I have been advocating for this for years! MAGA!
For years you have wanted visitors to the US to turn their social media accounts over to the government?
Absolutely yes. You can learn ALOT about a person from their social media. So important. MAGA!
I have not heard of any great criminal acts, acts of terrorism or espionage from visitors from Visa waiver countries. Did anyone else?
But what I have read is a story about a guy who was denied entrance because of negative comments about DJT (which is on a level with Turkey and Erdogan). I have visited the USA more than a dozen times and always left a nice Dollar there. Well, my passport allows me...
I have not heard of any great criminal acts, acts of terrorism or espionage from visitors from Visa waiver countries. Did anyone else?
But what I have read is a story about a guy who was denied entrance because of negative comments about DJT (which is on a level with Turkey and Erdogan). I have visited the USA more than a dozen times and always left a nice Dollar there. Well, my passport allows me to travel to over 200 countries and the USA jut made it on the list of countries which I won't visit anymore.
It is the right of the USA to place whatever restriction they want to on tourists (ever tried filling out the Tanzanian or Indian applications) it Is the very right of every non US citizen to not enter the USA. The losers are the guys working in tourism in the USA. Beating honest tourist to end honest jobs in the USA does not strike me a a wise move. Unless you think that this can short term distract form more important problems... ;-) Hony sont qui mal y pense
Everyone has an innocent account and the real account.
How would the govt even know if I give my innocent one only
They wouldn’t. Don’t obey in-advance. By the way, it’s a ‘clean’ account and many ‘dirty’ ones, you decide which is ‘real’ or not.
The part in the article that reads "For example, CBP is allowed to search through your phone, look through your social media, read your messages, etc." isn't correct. That used to be the situation until a 9th Circuit decision a few years ago requiring reasonable suspicion, and CBP voluntarily implemented that policy nationwide. Also there's a more recent federal case applicable to NY airports requiring probable cause and a warrant: https://natlawreview.com/article/exception-warrantless-searches-border-changing-electronic-devices, and https://reason.com/2024/07/26/courts-close-the-loophole-letting-the-feds-search-your-phone-at-the-border/
The part in the article that reads "For example, CBP is allowed to search through your phone, look through your social media, read your messages, etc." isn't correct. That used to be the situation until a 9th Circuit decision a few years ago requiring reasonable suspicion, and CBP voluntarily implemented that policy nationwide. Also there's a more recent federal case applicable to NY airports requiring probable cause and a warrant: https://natlawreview.com/article/exception-warrantless-searches-border-changing-electronic-devices, and https://reason.com/2024/07/26/courts-close-the-loophole-letting-the-feds-search-your-phone-at-the-border/
The question is how much does this knowledge even if you have it, helpful if the CBP officer asks you to either let him look or take the next flight back? And the answer is, nothing.
That applies only to US citizens tho, no? We can and do establish any rules we want for entry for noncitizens?
Orwellian or what?
It would appear that the pigs are just as much on the ascendancy at the Animal Farm on the left, as it is on the right side of the pond.
Well, all animals are equal; some are just ‘more equal’ than others.
You just know anybody who liked a meme making fun of Trump is getting barred from entry with this. We used to make fun of the Chinese Communist Party for banning Winnie the Pooh memes of Xi Jinping, and now that same shit is about to happen here. Y'all voted for this.
That’s what Xi said…
Dusty, ya gotta lay off blaming all Americans for this. Just shy of half of all Americans voted against this nonsense.
@ADR
To be clear, I'm American and I voted for Harris. When I say y'all voted for this, I mean the plurality that voted for Trump, not all American voters.
I should also include those that stayed home because they didn't like either candidate, and those that voted for Jill Stein. It shouldn't be that hard to realize that 3rd party candidates like Stein can say and promise whatever they want, because there's basically 0 chance they will ever win the election and have to follow through with those promises. Diluting the left-wing vote only helped Trump.
Social media is all about exposing your privacy to people you never met (and will never meet). So this isn't much different from the way people already use social media. Id say it's more a difference in perception
Many people use social media anonymously, discussing issues without fear of retribution from authoritarian governments.
Just like the prohibition on ESTAs for those who have visited Cuba, this is all about grandstanding and being an obnoxious, unlikable bully country. In practice, it has no useful effect at all. (Unless you count destroying US tourism as useful.)
Once again, I do not have social media. I don't need an algorithm to tell me what or how to feel every few minutes or what other people are doing with their lives every few seconds. And what you do online can affect your life offline.
I'm a 90s kid, so I do know what it was like before the internet and apparently, life wasn't that bad.
Amen
Spoiler alert: a good chunk of 90s kids have at least one social media account.
You’re using social media right now; this is a public comment thread and you’ve entered a username, to post comments for other people like me to react to. Don’t think it counts? The proposed rule includes no definition or specification of what is and isn’t “social media”.
As per AI:
"One Mile at a Time" is primarily a long-running travel blog and news website, but its creator, Ben Schlappig, maintains a significant presence on various social media platforms.
So, while the main platform is a website, it leverages social media extensively for updates and engagement.
The website itself also has features that encourage community interaction, such as a Q&A page and comment sections, which function in a social way.
...As per AI:
"One Mile at a Time" is primarily a long-running travel blog and news website, but its creator, Ben Schlappig, maintains a significant presence on various social media platforms.
So, while the main platform is a website, it leverages social media extensively for updates and engagement.
The website itself also has features that encourage community interaction, such as a Q&A page and comment sections, which function in a social way.
"One Mile at a Time" is fundamentally a travel journalism website and blog established by Ben Schlappig, not a social media network itself. Its primary function is publishing articles, reviews, and news regarding airlines, travel, credit cards, and loyalty programs.
However, it has a substantial social media presence and uses platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to distribute its content, engage with readers, and build a community around the blog.
In summary, the website itself is a blog, but its operations heavily involve the use of social media platforms.
Another excellent use for Finsta
Do pseudonyms on travel blogs count as 'social media'?
Asking for a friend...
Yes they do.
Source: cbp.gov/travel-info/entry-requirements#social_media
Well. Screw them. I guess we’re all criminals. Beria, yes, that atrocious individual, it credited with saying, ‘Show me the man, I'll show you the crime.’ I guess we’ve all driven over the speed limit, once, right? Minor arson? Hmm…
It is about time someone led the fight against "social media" , which is a cave of manipulators .
That's rich, coming from you.
Looking forward to all the resident MAGA incel readers chiming in with their always-astute analysis
Should they always check for undescnded testicles as an entry requirement?
Well, smug UA-NYC, I'm a "resident MAGA incel reader" and my astute analysis is that this is an inappropriate overreach that goes way too far and is counterproductive. I'm not in agreement with jacking up visa fees either. Nor with the many tariffs, especially unilaterally nuking the $800 small item duty exclusion.
Unlike what your mentors on The View may teach you, the world is not black and white and voting for a candidate...
Well, smug UA-NYC, I'm a "resident MAGA incel reader" and my astute analysis is that this is an inappropriate overreach that goes way too far and is counterproductive. I'm not in agreement with jacking up visa fees either. Nor with the many tariffs, especially unilaterally nuking the $800 small item duty exclusion.
Unlike what your mentors on The View may teach you, the world is not black and white and voting for a candidate doesn't mean that you agree with everything they do. This is an example of that, in my case.
@Stogieguy7
Whether or not you agree with everything they do, you *did* vote for this knowing this was a possible, and to be honest likely outcome. Trump didn't hide what he was planning when he campaigned in 2024, and Project 2025 (which he has followed to the letter) was publicized before the election. Something-something leopards eating faces.
@Dusty - indeed, it was all part of the package and laid bare in Project 2025. And yet, time and again, MAGA folks will continue to support this man and his regime, feigning shock from time to time because accountability for the harms Orange Foolius and others in his administration are causing is something they actually do not support. Unless, of course, it hurts them financially - then, they will show up to complain, because...
@Dusty - indeed, it was all part of the package and laid bare in Project 2025. And yet, time and again, MAGA folks will continue to support this man and his regime, feigning shock from time to time because accountability for the harms Orange Foolius and others in his administration are causing is something they actually do not support. Unless, of course, it hurts them financially - then, they will show up to complain, because all the xenophobia, misogyny, transphobia, racism, Islamophobia, and other forms of discrimination are fine until it actually starts to impact them. Just ask all the folks in South Florida who voted for this.
True, but I support a lot more of what's being done than I oppose. And the alternative was a blithering leftist idiot.
It is the liberal sneering from the coastal snobs who created all the problems with anti American forces given strength and aided by our enemies.
A good example is the woke German girl on a student visa who celebrated the tragic death of Charlie Kirk. There are lots of people like this who are not wanted in America.
@Hank Tarn
Freedom of speech. That you think somebody voicing their opinion should be punished by the government for it just shows that you don't hold American values. Russia seems more in line for you, maybe you should immigrate.
Ihre Papiere, bitte.
Frechheit. Ich gebe nichts frei
Trump über alles!
Trump macht frei!
SPEAK ENGLISH PLEASE
Scheiß auf dich, Jessica!
Shut up Rick. NOW!
Fahr zur Hölle, Jessica. JETZT!
Buffoon. Do not reply.
Es scheint, dass MAGA-Anhänger und Ignoranz gleichbedeutend sind.
CHILL OUT RICKY! I DO NOT APPRECIATE YOUR DISTESPECT!
ENOUGH
ENOUGH
ENOUGH
ENOUGH
ENOUGH
ENOUGH
ENOUGH
ENOUGH
ENOUGH
ENOUGH
ENOUGH
ENOUGH
Du bist hartnäckig, Jessica. Verrückt wie ein guter Zauberer.
VERRÜCKT
VERRÜCKT
VERRÜCKT
VERRÜCKT
VERRÜCKT
VERRÜCKT
Hinweis: Bist du neu im Internet? LOL
Tired of you! I don't even know what you are talking about!? Now sod off, you nasty little bugger!
Meinst du das ernst? Das ist ja witzig, Jessica/Karen...
Blah blah blah blah giskduijupd ridndkero oeortofjsk eikslsfkr
SPEAK ENGLISH!!!
JA, JA!
Jessica, du wirkst etwas naiv. Die MAGA-Anhängerschaft beeinflusst definitiv das Gehirn. Falls man überhaupt eins hat...
No idea what you are saying, dummy. Keep yapping away with your inconsequential drivel!
Speak... American.
OK 1990! I'll speak in American, like Jesus did.
English is just a nearly dead European language.
Yeehaw!!
The party of free speech throws that all out the window the moment the free speech is free speech about our "greatest ally"
'Free Speech Absolutist'.... excessively promotes his own posts; censors everyone who disagrees with him. F'Elon.
Free speech protections do not apply to noncitizens. For instance, you don't get to come to our country and potentially promote war with another country, if you yourself aren't even subject to or impacted by the requirements of citizens (i.e. registering for the draft).
It's quite reasonable to expect noncitizens to behave and act a certain way (even online) when they visit our country. Every other country in the world has similar or more draconian...
Free speech protections do not apply to noncitizens. For instance, you don't get to come to our country and potentially promote war with another country, if you yourself aren't even subject to or impacted by the requirements of citizens (i.e. registering for the draft).
It's quite reasonable to expect noncitizens to behave and act a certain way (even online) when they visit our country. Every other country in the world has similar or more draconian rules, even if they don't require this specific "registration" step.
@Peder Rice
Wrong. The Constitution's protections apply to EVERYONE in the US. Because unlike your MAGAt ilk, the founders understood that having protections for citizens but not everyone else creates a two-tiered justice system that ultimately foments violent retaliation. Free speech means free speech, regardless of whether your snowflake ass agrees with it. If I have to see idiot wignats openly flying Confederate flags or Trump flags on the highway, you get to see...
@Peder Rice
Wrong. The Constitution's protections apply to EVERYONE in the US. Because unlike your MAGAt ilk, the founders understood that having protections for citizens but not everyone else creates a two-tiered justice system that ultimately foments violent retaliation. Free speech means free speech, regardless of whether your snowflake ass agrees with it. If I have to see idiot wignats openly flying Confederate flags or Trump flags on the highway, you get to see people flying Palestinian flags or pride flags.
Dusty and TravelinWilly are correct; Peder Rice is wrong.
1st Amendment applies to all persons, citizens or not, within the US. Period.
"Free speech protections do not apply to noncitizens."
Yes, they do.