Trump Wants to Stalk You on Social Media Before Letting You into the US

If you're planning on travelling to the US any time soon, you’ll already know to expect a whirlwind of paperwork and other bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo in the pursuit to get your visa. But if the Trump Administration is to have its way, you may have to turn over details from the deepest, darkest corner of your existence – social media.

The proposed rule, which might as well be a plotline from an episode of Black Mirror, could ask all foreigners who want to travel to the US for their social media handles for the likes of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as well as previous phone numbers and emails from the last five years.

This proposal will not affect countries that already have visa free travel to the US like the UK or EU countries, which, as seems to be eternally the case, Egyptians are potentially screwed.

 “We want to get on their social media, with passwords,” Trump’s Chief of Staff, John F. Kelly, told members of congress last year when the idea of checking entrants’ social media was first vetted.” If they don’t want to cooperate, then you don’t come in.” While they government hasn’t officially asked for social media passwords, several travellers have reported random requests over the last year or so.

As is to be expected, many have already expressed their disgust at, some asking the very reasonable question of, will those who have criticized the US government or its president, for example, be refused entry – a ferocious violation of freedom of speech.

If the above has given you an intense and crushing feeling of political terror at what the world is becoming, worry not – it indicates that you are still sane. But then Trump is president, so, yeah.

Oh no, does that count as criticism of the US government? Oh well, plans to launch our new sister-site CincinnatiScene will have to be put on hold.

Main image from Clique TV.