Federal Judge Upholds State Department Rule Requiring Visa Applicants to Disclose Social Media Information
www.eff.orgSummary
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A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging a rule that requires visa applicants to disclose their social media accounts to the U.S. government.
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The rule, which went into effect in 2019, applies to visa applicants from all countries.
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The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, two U.S.-based documentary film organizations, argued that the rule violated the First Amendment rights of visa applicants.
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It’s unclear if the plaintiffs plan to appeal the ruling.
Additional Details
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The rule requires visa applicants to disclose their social media identifiers, including pseudonymous accounts, for the past five years.
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The plaintiffs argued that the rule would chill free speech and association, as visa applicants would be less likely to express themselves on social media if they knew that the government could see their posts.
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The ruling is a reminder of the challenges faced by people who want to protect their privacy online.
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Anonymity should exist online. Not for all platforms, but I shouldn’t be required to reveal all the dumb things I’ve said on Reddit under a fake username, nor should the government be allowed to go check every YouTube video I’ve watched, unless I’m under criminal investigation and they have a warrant. This law is just another incremental infringement on our constitutionally protected privacy. They figure at least half the country will support it since it only impacts immigrants. Then when they expand it to impact them, they’ll be used to the idea and explain it away, or be unable to fight against it. “First they came for the socialists”… and all that.
Just use a fake username, as you said. Have a distinct user with your real name that you use for self promotions. That’s the one you gives at interviews for employers and visas.
This is what I do on both Lemmy and reddit. It’s only an issue on reddit, where you’re expected to only self-promote some percent. Of course it looks like your real-name-account does self-promotion 100% of the time because…that’s what it’s for. It should be expected that we do most of our main commenting and posting on an anonymous account