US may ask Chinese travelers for web IDs

The administration of US President Donald Trump is proposing to ask Chinese holders of long-term US business and visitor visas who travel to the United States to disclose their name or other identifiers on social media platforms they use, according to the website Politico.

Travelers would be asked online to identify the platforms and their “handles” on them. Answering the question would be “optional”, US Customs and Border Protection officials said in a notice set for publication on Tuesday in the Federal Register. Those who don’t want to answer will have travel requests processed “without a negative interpretation or inference”, the notice said.

The initial iteration of the program to collect social media IDs asked travelers about profiles on sites like Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. However, residents of China tend to use other social media platforms, in part because some US sites are not available in China.

A CBP spokeswoman had no immediate comment on whether Chinese social media platforms would be included, Politico said.

The move to cover Chinese visitors in the social-media-focused screening comes as Trump administration officials review steps to vet foreigners seeking to enter the US, including asking for social media passwords, Politico said.

It said that the Obama administration used a similar, voluntary, social-media screening effort late last year for travelers eligible to enter the US through the Visa Waiver Program, which includes many European countries and other highly developed nations.