Image: My bad tweet

If you’re a foreigner traveling into or out of the United States, US Customs and Border Protection wants to see your social media accounts. If my Twitter account is any indication, they are in for a dumb, boring time.


The Hill reports that the agency has put forth a new proposal that would target travelers without visas. Upon arriving at or departing from the border, people would find a space on the requisite forms where they could leave their social media handles.


Supposedly, this would “provide the Department of Homeland Security greater clarity and visibility to possible nefarious activity and connections.” You know, they want to catch the terrorists.

In reality, it will probably just give bored customs agents something to laugh at:

It should be noted that the proposed change, which was published yesterday, would be optional. But assuming this gets approved and people actually participate, perhaps Homeland Security will create a hall of fame for terrible social media presences, à la the TSA’s gem of an Instragram account.


The proposal is still under consideration, which means public comments are open for the next 60 days. If you’re so inclined, you can mail (but not tweet!) your thoughts to the department’s Washington office.


[The Hill]

