US Department of Homeland Security silently starts collecting social network handles of visitors

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has quietly started collecting information of social networking accounts of visitors to the United States, according to a report in Politico. The information is being used by the DHS to better identify possibilities of nefarious activity by what the DHS calls visiting “aliens”. The DHS proposed the changes back in July, and travelers have started getting the new forms with fields for filling in details of their social networks. The measure is meant to meet the requirements of the  Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015. The act was a response to calls from the American public that visitors were not being screened thoroughly enough, in the wake of the  San Bernardino shootings . The form has fields for users to fill in their profiles for social media accounts such as Facebook, Google and Twitter. The details will be used to enhance the investigation process of the DHS, and provide more data and tools for analysts or investigators to work with. The move has been opposed by privacy advocates, saying that it exposes travelers to immense risk considering how personal social media accounts are. Additionally, there are concerns that the Arab and Muslim communities will face disproportionate scrutiny. DHS says it is collecting the information for vetting purposes. The move by the United States could spark similar measures by other countries, which may not follow the due process, or take sufficient measures to secure the collected information. While filling out the details are optional and voluntary, most visitors are likely to fill out the information. The information is collected only from visitors who temporarily enter the United States through the Visa Waiver Program. The Visa Waiver Program allows travelers to enter the United States without a Visa for travel or business purposes, for a maximum period of 90 days. The program is only available to citizens of 38 countries, and India is not on the list.