Also, according to the new rule published in the Federal Register last week, the information collected will include “social media handles, aliases, associated identifiable information, and search results” as part of people’s immigration file. The new requirement takes effect Oct. 18. 2017.
The Department of Homeland Security has moved to collect social media information on all immigrants, including permanent residents and naturalized citizens. The move alarmed lawyers and privacy groups, particularly how the information will be used.
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Concerns Arises To Immigrants
In addition, this move has alarmed lawyers and privacy groups worried about how the information will be used. Adam Schwartz, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which advocates for privacy and free expression, said the plan was disturbing.
“We see this as part of a larger process of high-tech surveillance of immigrants and more and more people being subjected to social media screening,” Schwartz told BuzzFeed News. “There’s a growing trend at the Department of Homeland Security to be snooping on the social media of immigrants and foreigners and we think it’s an invasion of privacy and deters freedom of speech.”
DHS Argument
Moreover, DHS said the amendment posted last week is not a new policy. It adds an effort to be transparent, to comply with existing regulations. Due to updates in the electronic immigration system the agency said.
According to BuzzFeed, the new rule could also affect U.S. citizens. It affects those who communicate with immigrants on social media by making their conversations the subject of government surveillance.
