Humans are social beings and that is why social networking platforms have quite popular. They have become part of everyday life, especially for millennials and they use to document their life or share opinions about something. This means that your social media account can be used to generate a profile about you and this case shows the numerous applications of this data you post online.
According to the Hill, there is a proposal where they would ask foreigners travelling to the United States to provide the authorities with their social media handles. There is a twist here where it will require travelers who do not have a visa.
If you check the proposal, one of the proposed changes is adding the following optional question to one of the forms: “Please enter information associated with your online presence-Provider/Platform–Social media identifier.” It goes on to explain the purpose of collecting this data:”Collecting social media data will enhance the existing investigative process and provide DHS greater clarity and visibility to possible nefarious activity and connections by providing an additional tool set which analysts and investigators may use to better analyze and investigate the case.”The public, in this case the US citizens, have been given 60 days to comment about the issue.
This story relates to an earlier report where apparently social media would be used in approving of your visa. This is one of the many ways in which social media is being used as a tool to know people. We have seen cases where Facebook filed a patent where using your networks within your site could affect your credit score. We have also seen a case where the US government use social media to destroy an insurgent’s headquarters.
