Ethical Hacking News
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has proposed expanding its social media monitoring capabilities as part of President Trump's executive order aimed at tightening security measures for foreign aliens entering the country. This move would require non-citizens applying for immigration benefits to undergo social media scanning, sparking controversy over privacy concerns and chilling effects on free speech.
USCIS proposes expanding its social media monitoring capabilities as part of President Trump's executive order aimed at tightening security measures for foreign aliens entering the country. The proposed regulation would require non-citizens applying for immigration benefits to undergo social media scanning, including those already in America going through an immigration or citizenship process. Similar scrutiny was previously applied to foreigners on work visas since at least 2014. The proposal aims to ensure that admitted aliens and aliens already present in the US do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles. Critics argue that this would infringe upon individuals' right to privacy and potentially create a chilling effect on free speech.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been making headlines recently for its proposal to expand its social media monitoring capabilities. This move, part of President Trump's executive order aimed at tightening security measures for foreign aliens entering the country, would require non-citizens applying for immigration benefits to undergo social media scanning. The proposed regulation would subject those already in America going through an immigration or citizenship process to similar scrutiny.
This development is not a new initiative by USCIS. In 2019, the Department of Homeland Security mandated that anyone looking to enter the US on a work visa or similar had to hand over their social media handles for vetting purposes. This has been a standard procedure for foreigners, particularly those coming in on a visa, since at least 2014.
The proposed regulation would require non-citizens applying for an immigration benefit – naturalization, legal permanent residence (aka applying for a green card), or refugee or asylum status – to also be subject to social media inspection. This means that individuals who have been living in the US for some time and are now seeking to adjust their status or apply for some other immigration benefit would be forced to comply with this new requirement.
The justification behind this move is based on President Trump's executive order, which calls for tougher vetting of foreign aliens, including those already in the country. The order aims to ensure that admitted aliens and aliens already present in the US do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.
Michelle Mittelstadt, director of communications and public affairs for the Migration Policy Institute, explained that adding more criteria for completion without guidelines as to what types of social media posts or commentary on social media would trigger adverse consequences will make things more complicated and potentially confusing for USCIS adjudicators, immigration lawyers, and immigrants themselves. The proposed regulation also raises concerns about chilling effects on immigrants' social media usage.
USCIS estimates that analyzing the social media posts will take an extra 285,999 hours a year as staff scan through endless cat memes and banal "here's what I'm doing today" posts in the hope of finding some fool posting, "I love breaking the law by paying hookers for sex!" or "I can't wait to attend jihadist terror summer camp!"
Interestingly, it is suggested that this project will not incur any costs to the agency, implying that it will be automated. However, this raises questions about the efficacy and feasibility of such an initiative.
The proposal has sparked controversy, with critics arguing that this would infringe upon individuals' right to privacy and potentially create a chilling effect on free speech. The 60-day comment period for members of the public to suggest amendments is underway, with those affected by these updates likely to be eager to share their thoughts on this contentious issue.
In conclusion, the proposed social media policing changes by USCIS mark a significant escalation in the country's surveillance state. As the debate surrounding this initiative unfolds, it is essential to consider the implications of such measures on individuals' rights and freedoms.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/The-Social-Media-Snooper-A-Glimpse-into-the-Future-of-USCISs-Surveillance-State-ehn.shtml
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/03/06/uscis_social_media/
https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/06/uscis_social_media/?td=keepreading
https://www.td.org/content/atd-blog/does-uncle-sam-need-to-tweet
Published: Thu Mar 6 14:43:59 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
