Crossing the border into the United States is notoriously difficult, especially since 9/11. Every year, it seems like there is more information the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Patrol wants to know about citizens and non-citizens upon arrival.
Now, they want to know your social media information. The reasoning behind this is to better be able to investigate you as you enter the country. However, how much say in this matter do we have and who – if anyone – is listening on the other end?
They want to know what you’re up to, who you’re up to it with, and any nefarious plans you may post on your social media status. In fact, they want to know this information so badly that DHS’s Customs and Border Patrol is pushing to request social media information as a data field on the customs form for entering the United States.
This data field proposed would specifically say, “Please enter information associated with your online presence – Provider/Platform – Social media identifier.”
Of course, this data field would be
optional. However, DHS is not required to
tell you that it’s optional. In fact, there are plenty of optional data fields that already exist that are not MARKED as optional. Of course you don’t want to leave any mandatory fields blank on your customs form! It is unclear whether or not this data field will actually be marked as optional or not. Also unclear is whether or not this data field would
remain optional as time goes on.
Other concerns arise due to the fact that people can lie about their social media and online identities. There have been plenty of instances of identity theft via social media and fake online profiles that would no doubt leak into border patrol’s new data field. Plenty of innocent people have had fake Facebook accounts set up in their name and used to lure people in. What happens when a fake account indicated in this data field results in the feds at your door?
The Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Patrol is accepting written comments about this proposed data field until August 22
nd. There is no link to email your opinion, and when you mail your complaint or comment in, the address sends your letter to the Paperwork Reduction Act Office. Are they listening?
Even without this optional data field, anything you post on social media can be seen – by your friends, and by your non-friends. You should already be taking measures to protect yourself even if this proposal does not pass. Make sure to have your privacy settings on and in full force, make sure you know the people whose friend requests you approve, and don’t post anything online that you would not want revealed out in the real world.