DHS May Require Social Media Passwords From Some Travelers
The Department of Homeland Security is considering a new rule that would require individuals from the seven countries affected by the administration’s recent travel moratorium to hand over their social-media passwords in order to gain entry to the United States, according to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.
Kelly mentioned the password requirement as one of a number of possible new vetting procedures for travelers in testimony to Congress on Tuesday.
The House Homeland Security Committee called Kelly to explain what measures the administration plans to implement after its 90-day ban on travelers from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and Yemen ends. That ban is currently being challenged in the courts.
In his testimony, Kelly told the committee: “We want to get on their social media, with passwords: What do you do, what do you say? If they don’t want to cooperate, then you don’t come in.”
Kelly noted that this proposal was prompted, in part, by the fact that U.S. officials can’t rely on background information provided by weak governments in countries like Syria, Somalia and Yemen, currently embroiled in civil wars.
"It’s very hard to truly vet these people in these countries, the seven countries... But if they come in, we want to say, what Web sites do they visit, and give us your passwords. So we can see what they do on the Internet," said Kelly"
Social media isn’t the only area under consideration for more intensive vetting: Kelly said DHS is also examining whether it can gain access to financial records, which could reveal possible ties to terrorist organizations.
All the new screening measures would be implemented in the countries of origin: “But over there we can ask them for this kind of information and if they truly want to come to America, then they will cooperate. If not, next in line.”
The previous administration had already introduced social-media screening for foreign travelers, but at a much lower level. In December, the DHS began asking visitors from abroad to voluntarily provide details of their social-media accounts – but not passwords.
Under the current screening system, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection service includes a query on its Electronic System for Travel Authorization form for individuals seeking entrance to the country under a visa waiver program, asking them to provide information identifying their social media accounts.
The electronic form provides a pull-down menu that includes a number of major social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube; it also asks for user names, screen names, or other identifying information.
interesting ... i had a bit of a "lightbulb moment" a few years ago when a young (american) millennial (i suppose) explained how he'd built up his online rep by blogging, tweeting etc in his own name, while i'd always languished in the (quite possibly false) anonymity of online pseudonyms. made me feel like a daft old fart. maybe not so much nownot related to immigration in the EU but thought i'd put this from mediapost here:
Netherlands, Ipsos exit poll:
VVD-ALDE: 21%
CDA-EPP 13%
PVV-ENF 13%
D66-ALDE 13%
GL-G/EFA 11%
SP-LEFT 9%
PvdA-S&D 6%
where you read VVD you might as well just read PVV-Light, because they have shamelessly taken over a lot of the xenophobe and racist rhetoric of the PVV for the last few months.
Something horribly familiar about this.
It's so extremely disappointing again. Sure, the PVV didn't won as much as was expected some weeks ago but where you read VVD you might as well just read PVV-Light, because they have shamelessly taken over a lot of the xenophobe and racist rhetoric of the PVV for the last few months. It will be another four years of conservative right-wing neo-liberal politics. Was really hoping for the left to finally gain some power but they (GL+SP) only got 20% of the votes.
So if I'm reading the acronyms correctly, the Labour Party vote collapsed from 24% to 6% in the past five years. Presumably they occupy much the same centre-right territory as Labour in the UK and are another victim of Pasokification?
20% for the Greens and Socialists might be disappointing from a Netherlands viewpoint, but looks at least promising from an outsider's perspective, since it says here that the SP actually opposes privatisation (unlike some alleged socialist parties). Chances of such parties getting 20% in the UK are risibly low, though I suppose the Greens are majorly stymied by the lack of proportional representation and the resulting lack of publicity/sense that they're 'worth' voting for (which on the upside also ensures UKIP have 1 MP, but sadly doesn't stop millions voting for them or deny them publicity).
This is true yes.
A lot of old (Dutch) Labour Party voters have moved to the PVV of Geert Wilders (who, besides being the trademark Muslim/immigrant-basher also has a rather economically socialist program, in fact, it parallels the actual Socialist Party on quite some points).
I had to look up Pasokification, is this correct: "reducing a country's main social democratic party to the smallest party in parliament as a result of the rise of a more radical left party"?
This figures with stuff I've read elsewhere about how the PVV is mainly 'right-wing' or 'far-right' in its attitude to immigration in general and Muslims in particular, and that it's actually fairly liberal or even leftist in other regards. In fact I believe a main feature of Wilders' spiel is to say that Muslim immigrants with reactionary views are a threat to traditional Dutch tolerance and equality. I recall people talking this tendency as 'the Left Right' when I lived there a few years ago.
Young voters are the future though.
Positives are the quadrupling of the green vote and wilders dropping to 13% after polls showing 25-40%. Very similar result to Austria actually.
that fits neatly with Le Pen's apparent (and potentially v frightening) appeal to old-school socialist voters based on some economic policies that are generally considered left-wing/anti-neoliberal (obvious historical precedents here).
And I suppose that the shift in racism to largely focus upon invective against Islam (post-2001, or was it occurring before - I find it hard to remember) has often involved a shift in far right tactics to position itself as the defender of tolerance, of women's rights in particular and even of gay rights in some cases (as with Wilders, while Le Pen's attitude, well, it's pretty conflicted...: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/02/14/frances-marine-le-pen-quietly-pledges-to-end-same-sex-marriage/).
From a UK perspective, things could change a lot if UKIP decided to go down a similar path, taking its lead from the more 'sophisticated' European fascists rather than Trump (appealing disproportionately to voters who will soon be dead, while Le Pen scores highest among both 18-24 year olds and 35-49s). Though I guess that the UK voting public's attachment to neoliberalism would stop some of the same manoeuvres Le Pen is attempting.
The world is absurdly complicated right now.
It's notable that attitudes towards immigration and Islam/Muslims have become the litmus test for whether politicians in Europe are regarded as 'left-wing' or 'right-wing'. I don't know how serious Wilders really is about feminism, LGBT rights and animal rights, but it certainly puts him at odds with Le Pen and other far-right groups elsewhere in Europe, for whom he's expressed distaste - although he did form a coalition with the FN in the European parliament. But at any rate, it certainly makes him stand out, and it's notable that he's regarded as the successor to Pim Fortuyn, who was big on LGBT and women's rights and openly gay himself, of course. And he's very pro-Jewish, in contrast to most of the alt-right rabble currently taking over the USA.
The flipside to this is the unfortunate tendency of some on the capital-L Left to make common cause with Islamists whose views on women, gays and Jews would have them labelled far-right - neo-Nazi, even - if they were white.
Of course, all this is only half the story as it ignores the economic aspect - I don't really know where Wilders stands on this but it sounds like he's anti-austerity, at least, and is presumably keen on protecting 'ordinary Dutch people' (who may be working- or middle-class but are obvious white) from the deleterious effects of neoliberalism, although this is rather at odds with his professed admiration for Margaret Thatcher. I understand Le Pen has some policies that are pretty unarguably left-wing, if not 'socialist' per se. In this country, the fact that UKIP are obviously never going to get anywhere near direct power gives them (like the Greens) the luxury of not having to have anything close to a consistent economic policy*, with palaeosexist lunatic Godfrey Bloom drawing cheers from socialists for his criticism of the banking system while the party's MEPs can't even agree on whether or not the NHS should be privatized. Unlike the Greens, UKIP represents a significant enough vote drain to threaten the Tories and are also benefiting from Labour's implosion in some working-class former Labour strongholds. Indeed UKIP's real triumph is that its manifesto points are starting to become policy without the party occupying a single seat in the Commons.
*though they're arguably in good company with the present government on that score
Christ, you can say that again.
“Enough of the mass immigration, asylum, terror, violence and lack of safety.
Here is our plan: instead of financing the entire world and the people we do not want here, we give our money back to the common Dutch person.
This is what the PVV [ed: name of Geert Wilders’ party or “Party for Freedom” in English] will do:
1) de-islamize the Netherlands
- Zero asylum seekers and no more immigrants from Muslim countries: we are closing our borders.
- Withdrawal of all residence permits already granted to asylum seekers; asylum seeker centers closed down.
- No more Muslim veils in public functions
- Ban of overall Muslim expressions that are against the public order
- Preventive incarceration of radical Muslims
- Criminals with double nationality stripped of their Dutch citizenship and deported
- Syrian fighters not allowed back in The Netherlands
- All Mosques and Muslim schools are to be closed and the Koran banned.
2) The Netherlands will reclaim its independence. Therefore, we leave the EU.
3) Direct democracy: binding referendums, citizens have the power.
4) Deductible/excess in healthcare insurance is eliminated
5) Rents to be lowered
6) Age of retirement back to 65 years old. Pensions for everyone.
7) No more money for foreign aid, windmills, art, innovation, public broadcasters, etc.
8) Past budget cuts involving care will be reversed.
9) Plenty extra funds for defense and police
10) Lower income taxes
11) 50% reduction for vehicle ownership taxes
Financial benefits per point [ED: the savings for the Dutch State that each of his points will provide]
1. + 7.2 billion Euro
2. to be calculated at a later date
3. to be calculated at a later date
4. — 3.7 billion Euro
5. — 1 billion Euro
6. — 3.5 billion Euro
7. + 10 billion Euro
8. — 2 billion Euro
9. — 2 billion Euro
10. — 3 billion Euro
11. — 2 billion Euro
7) No more money for foreign aid, windmills, art, innovation, public broadcasters, etc.