SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 The government’s next plan to curb terrorism involves snooping around the Facebook profiles of foreign travelers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Non-citizens traveling to the U.S. on a visa\u00a0waiver could be asked about their online presence and social media profiles \u2014 but not their account passwords \u2014 by\u00a0U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. Though CBP\u00a0already screens foreign travelers with in-person interviews and database checks, collecting social media accounts is specifically meant to track activity that could pose threats to “national security,” according to a\u00a0proposal<\/a>\u00a0submitted by CBP and published in theFederal Register\u00a0<\/em>late\u00a0<\/em>last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Collecting social media data will enhance the existing investigative process and provide DHS greater clarity and visibility to possible nefarious activity,” the proposal said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The proposal indicates CBP recognizes the way individual attackers and extremist groups are using social media to spread terror. But some questioned whether it would be that effective, given\u00a0visitors could choose to avoid\u00a0divulging\u00a0their social media handles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n FACEBOOK VOWS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Two recent mass shootings with connections\u00a0to\u00a0established terrorist groups\u00a0\u2013 in San Bernardino and in\u00a0Orlando, Fla.\u00a0\u2013 \u00a0\u00a0were at the hands of killers\u00a0adept at using social media. The California attackers whose shooting rampage killed 14\u00a0posted messages of support to Islamic State on their social media profiles.\u00a0Omar Mateen, whose massacre at a Orlando night club killed 49,\u00a0pledged support to ISIS on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Twitter, Facebook and other social media services\u00a0have been criticized for allowing\u00a0terrorists to spread their message and influence others on their platforms. The family of a victim of the Paris terrorist attacks in November\u00a0sued<\/a>\u00a0Facebook, Google and Twitter, claiming the companies\u00a0allowed\u00a0the Islamic State to spread propaganda to attract and train new recruits and celebrate attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Facebook called the lawsuit without merit and said anyone can report terrorist accounts or content to the service.\u00a0“We work aggressively to remove such content as soon as we become aware of it,” a statement at the time read.\u00a0Facebook did not respond to a request for comment for this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Twitter\u00a0says users that\u00a0promote\u00a0terrorism are subject to permanent suspension from the platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “We condemn the use of Twitter to promote terrorism and the Twitter Rules make it clear that this type of behavior, or any violent threat, is not permitted on our service,” read a Twitter statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The government\u00a0has already called upon Silicon Valley to do more to\u00a0filter out terrorists.\u00a0Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.,\u00a0introduced a bill in December which would require tech companies to report online terrorist activity to law enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “We’re in a new age where terrorist groups like ISIL are using social media to reinvent how they recruit and plot attacks,” Feinstein said in a press release at the time. “That information can be the key to identifying and stopping terrorist recruitment or a terrorist attack, but we need the help from technology companies.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n ONLINE REACH<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The new CBP proposal, which has a 60-day comment period, may not have flagged the Orlando or\u00a0San Bernardino shootings, as both the attackers were either citizens or permanent residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond that practical shortfall, some questioned whether moves to track IS’ reach online\u00a0would amount to much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ISIL gains power most prominently by acquiring land and people in\u00a0Syria\u00a0and Iraq, and only uses social media to arrogantly brag about their conquests, Max Abrahms, professor of political science at\u00a0Northeastern University, said. Posting massacres online can even lead governments to become more resolute in fighting the extremists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I think that this entire initiative of trying to combat IS by becoming more savvy online is mistaken,” Abrahms said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CBP has also flubbed when screening social media accounts of foreign travelers. In a\u00a0well-documented incident in 2012, two\u00a0European friends were\u00a0detained<\/a>\u00a0entering the U.S. through the\u00a0Los Angeles International Airport\u00a0after they\u00a0tweeted\u00a0they wanted to “destroy America,” an apparent reference to the heavy partying they planned for their visit. The\u00a0Department of Homeland Security\u00a0questioned the pair\u00a0for five hours, handcuffed and locked them in separate\u00a0holding cells for 12 hours, before sending them on a flight home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ira Mehlman, spokesperson for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said he does not oppose asking foreign travelers for their social media accounts, as\u00a0the job of immigration officers is to ensure those traveling into the U.S. are not threats to safety, and social media could be an indicator for dangerous behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “For the most part your social media profile is public record,” Mehlman added. “Anybody can look to anybody’s Facebook page, you can see what’s on there, and you don’t need permission.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n