Privacy Groups Say DHS Policy to Collect Immigrants' Social Media Data Chills Speech
A Department of Homeland Security rule that would collect "social media handles, aliases, associated identifiable information, and search results" on immigrants, including permanent residents and naturalized U.S. citizens, would chill free speech, said Center for Democracy & Technology CEO Nuala…
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O'Connor Wednesday. DHS last week published a proposed rule, which takes effect Oct. 18, to expand collection of information on immigrants including social media data. O'Connor, a former DHS chief privacy officer, called the practice an "affront to basic human dignity" of individuals and families who would be subject to "overbroad and overly invasive rules." She said it would have a "chilling effect on online speech" and make it "impossible for immigrants to have pseudonymous internet identities, or to speak online without fear of government retribution." American Civil Liberties Union National Political Director Faiz Shakir said Tuesday DHS' "collect-it-all approach is ineffective to protect national security." A department spokeswoman said Wednesday the rule modifying the current records collection isn't new policy. "DHS, in its law-enforcement and immigration-process capacity, has and continues to monitor publicly available social media to protect the homeland," she said. "In an effort to be transparent, to comply with existing regulations, and due to updates in the electronic immigration system, DHS decided to update its corresponding Privacy Act system of records." The department is complying with administrative requirements of the act, she said.