EFF: Protecting Immigrants from High Tech Surveillance: 2017 in Review
Protecting Immigrants from High Tech Surveillance: 2017 in Review In 2017, the federal government surged its high tech snooping on immigrants and foreign visitors, including expanded use of social media surveillance, biometric screening, and data mining. In response, EFF ramped up its advocacy for the digital rights of immigrants. Social Media Surveillance EFF resisted government programs to collect, store, and analyze the publicly available social media information of immigrants and visitors. These programs threaten the digital expression and privacy of immigrants, and the many U.S. citizens who communicate with them. Collection. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) empowered its border officers to screen the social media information of certain visa applicants from China . Likewise, the State Department empowered its consular officials to gather this information from visa applicants worldwide. The DHS Secretary even floated the idea of requiring visitors to sh...