by axolotl_peyotl
These latest revelations from a government watchdog organization should be concerning for all those who value their freedom and privacy in a digital world where big tech and big government view the concept of “privacy” as an anathema.
This is not a partisan issue either, as like practically everything else in this corrupt day and age, this was a Democrat program continued by Republicans:
via activistpost:
This isn’t entirely new either; the Obama administration started the collecting of social media information from select visitors of the U.S. towards the end of 2016. The Trump administration, however, further introduced tougher visa vetting last year, allowing officials to request information such as social media handles only when “such information is required to confirm identity or conduct more rigorous national security vetting.”
After a recent Freedom of Information Request, it was revealed that thousands of travelers per month have been subjected to these warrantless requests for personal information. Of that number, 80% are estimated to be foreigners, which still leaves a troubling number of American citizens who had their Constitution suspended with a warrantless search of their electronic devices.
What’s more, this activity is expanding to include train stations under the Trump administration. All this is on top of the agenda-driven biometrics surveillance being deployed at airports, train stations and other border checkpoints. U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive immigration order on January 27th — best known for suspending visitors to the U.S. from seven majority-Muslim countries — also included an article expediting the biometric exit program.