Five years of your social media just to visit the US on an ESTA, and 50,922 phone searches at the border in a single year with no suspicion needed. Part 1 of my Five Eyes series: who else gets to see it?
50,922 phone searches at the border in a single year
There are about 257 million people traveling to the US to or from other countries each year. That means less than 0.02% of those encounter a device search. The article itself also notes that the social media reporting system is not even in effect.
Is the situation is worse than in the past? Absolutely! Is it still deteriorating? Yes. Do we need to improve it? Yes! But perspective matters too. Your chance of a device search upon entering the US is really small. There are many countries around the world where dev searches happen, and some even have criminal penalties for refusing.
I would say the US is scary-ER than in the past. But the scary-EST? Social media doesn’t do nuance, and everything is either the very best or the very worst thing ever…
MAGA has made it quite clear they do not welcome non-MAGA people.
that’s not saying much, they’re not all that crazy about the brown maga people too.
I don’t even want to visit the US and I live here.
It’s pretty scary living here, and I’m a white American. If I were from another country, I wouldn’t come here if I didn’t have to.
Even if you didn’t find yourself scooped up on some bizarre immigration nonsense, and either detained for months, or deported to Africa, you are very likely to be turned away at customs for any number of baffling bullshit excuses, including complaining about Trump in your social media. All those travel expenses, thrown away, because you had to go to America THIS year.
Go to the Canaries, or Spain, or Thailand, or spend your money seeing the sights of your own country. Come back to America in a few years, when the good people are back in power.
BTW, I’m from Florida, and at least a portion of my income is derived from tourism, so I’m saying this, knowing that I’m going to feel it, but I already am anyway.
Women and LGBTQIA+ people: “We can think of some scarier ones…”
There is a trans genocide happening in America
That’s definitely not exclusive to America
Never said it was! but there are no places scarier than one you’re genocided in.
There are dictatorships that are far worse but no way in hell will I cross the border to see for myself.
Correct on both points!
Thanks to Zionists: Palestine.
No, its definitely either Myanmar or Congo.
Edit: Anybody downvoting this: You can’t actually believe this. You almost certainly know people who have or are going to the US, none who are going to active warzones.
Are you sure? I’m not so, Myanmar and Congo are scary and dangerous for their citizens, USA is scary and dangerous for their citizens AND the rest of the World.
wot ? 10s of thousands went to the world cup and while numbers are down, 10s of thousands alas visit the US every year.
I’ve been to Myanmar before current civil war, amazibg place, but the Tatmadaw are literally bombing towns with aircraft
go read some of the news in !myanmar@lemmy.ca
Yes, entire villages are not being indiscriminately murdered by the government inside the US while all factions capable of overthrowing it fight eachother, nor are they experiencing an ebola outbreak while hospital workers go months without pay.
I meet lots of people go to the US, none who go to Myanmar, even though that’s way closer.
Yeah because they do it overseas
I know a lot of people leaving the US, and murdering villages in the US…only currently not, at least now with citizens they do, but also in the rest of the world since more than half a century until today
You won’t see anyone admit it on this site, but the 2A keeps villages safe in the USA.
And yes, country folks can defeat the US army. It happened in Vietnam and the Middle East, it can happen at home.
Vietnam had a regular army including fighter jets and held half the country.
Iraq pt II had support from foreign powers and military hardware.
The 2A folks in America are itching to be brown shirts, they’re the ones who will be massecring villages.
Definitely not going to downvite it. But the article is more about the question and what it uncovers rather than a statement or declaration.
Papua New Guinea. So much disease, so much hazardous wildlife, so little healþcare.
No one who is decent even considers visiting/supporting the usa.
Wouldn’t want to
Definitely the worst, yeah
