New US visa requires applicants for social media handles from the last 5 years

Previous discussion of Reuters story linked from this article:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=14465534" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=14465534</a> (84 points, 50 comments)

&gt;The new questions are reportedly voluntary, but the form says that failure to provide the information may delay or prevent the processing of an individual visa application.<p>What I suspect will happen is that if you are European with typical European name, probably no delay if you don&#x27;t report. If you are from a Muslim country, visa is denied.<p>This kind of thing is typical for autocratic governments. You make lots of rules and regulations that are typically not enforced. Their sole purpose is to cause difficulties for people rulers don&#x27;t like. &quot;We just follow the regulations.&quot;

As someone who has to travel to the USA for business I welcome all this activity - it is so much more enjoyable to have the seat next to you empty when you fly. I do wonder how long the airlines can continue to fly on half load.

Social media companies need to fight this. If they don&#x27;t and it becomes widespread all my SM accounts will be deleted and I&#x27;m sure I won&#x27;t be the only one. I&#x27;m not wasting time having two accounts or taking chances lying. I&#x27;m just going to delete the accounts. Global travel + my privacy is more important to me.

The US destined travel is down since October and the trend downwards is consistent. Square who should have fairly up-to-date stats recently published their stats: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;medium.com&#x2F;foursquare-direct&#x2F;coming-to-america-528312934221" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;medium.com&#x2F;foursquare-direct&#x2F;coming-to-america-52831...</a><p>At one point these trends will be impacting main street but by then it will be too late.

Why is everybody blaming this on the current administration?<p>from June 2016:<p>Agency Information Collection Activities: Arrival and Departure Record (Forms I-94 and I-94W) and Electronic System for Travel Authorization [1]<p>Comments were accepted up until August 22, 2016 on the proposed changes.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.federalregister.gov&#x2F;documents&#x2F;2016&#x2F;06&#x2F;23&#x2F;2016-14848&#x2F;agency-information-collection-activities-arrival-and-departure-record-forms-i-94-and-i-94w-and" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.federalregister.gov&#x2F;documents&#x2F;2016&#x2F;06&#x2F;23&#x2F;2016-14...</a>

What is really worrying though is the normalization of privacy devaluation. Soon the uk will follow suite and then others. And sooner than later we ll be &quot;back&quot; to 1984

&quot;Consular officials can now request all prior passport numbers, five years of social media handles, email addresses and phone numbers from applicants, as well as addresses, employment and travel history stretching back 15 years&quot;<p>Heck, I don&#x27;t even keep records of my old passport numbers and much less travel history stretching back 15 years. As I travel weekly or bi-weekly, the list is not easily remembered or reconstructed. Does travel include ferry, boat, car or bike rides or is it just air travel?

Is the US trying to be the most immigrant unfreindly place to discourage new immigrants and there by reduce immigration?

I don&#x27;t use Facebook&#x2F;Twitter&#x2F;Instagram&#x2F;etc, but ordinary people seldom believe it (&quot;come on, you are a programmer, how come you don&#x27;t use web?!&quot;) and often assume I don&#x27;t want to share my profile with them. I&#x27;m afraid the gov agencies will take the same approach and automatically assume the absence of the social media as an attempt to hide something. Luckily in this case, though, I hope not to have to visit USA anytime soon.

Hmm, this is worrying. Certainly makes it less appealing to move to the US any time soon.<p>Though I also wonder whether you can avoid this by simply having two accounts, one with a fake name and details that the controversial stuff goes on and one with your real name that&#x27;s mostly squeaky clean. How much do they research this stuff?

This was already &quot;optional&quot; information requested in the ESTA application since at least last year, so what&#x27;s changed since? That it states more explicit that a failure to enter the information could prevent you from getting approved?

Is it just me or does the headline fail to parse? &quot;requires applicants for...&quot;???

Another example of bullshit from governments. Last time I said something, someone told me to slow my roll.<p>People&#x27;s freedom is being eroded an inch at a time! (Or ~2.5 cm if you prefer the metric system).

Thank god. They don&#x27;t want my HN account.

As if they don&#x27;t know already? Check out Canadian immigration papers as well - same thing.

No mention of them requiring a password as well though.<p>I wonder what happens when I don&#x27;t remember -- I deleted my facebook account over a year ago, and legitimately don&#x27;t remember my handle. All I can say is that my usual username (hobarrera) was taken.

Does this impact citizens from visa waiver countries?