this post was submitted on 21 Apr 2026
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The US embassy in Bangkok announced on Monday that all US visa applicants must set their social media accounts to public for screening.

The requirement is effective immediately and aims to enable screening to confirm applicants’ identity and legal admissibility, the embassy posted on its Facebook account.

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[–] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 129 points 1 week ago (1 children)

to confirm applicants’ identity

Social media accounts are not official, government-issued and thus not useful for this "stated" purpose.

Let's be honest about what this is really about: suppression of criticism.

[–] unitedwithme@lemmy.today 13 points 1 week ago

Gotta have more data to mine and sell, too... Gotta make a few bucks for the trouble of getting citizenship. "The start of a beautiful relationship" aka the start of monetizing more new data for those AI and big tech.

[–] viral.vegabond@piefed.social 67 points 1 week ago (3 children)

What if they don't have any social media accounts?

[–] tacosanonymous@mander.xyz 66 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Believe it or not, straight to jail.

[–] watson387@sopuli.xyz 19 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] NatakuNox@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Okay strait to jail. Nonblind loyalty won't be tolerated in trumps America.

[–] comrade_twisty@feddit.org 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Colleague of mine had issues at DFW because they did not believe that he does not have a LinkedIn account.

[–] playoffchoice@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

People still use LinkedIn?

[–] dreamkeeper@literature.cafe 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Yeah. Most of my coworkers are on there and actually post and shit.

[–] Malyca@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 week ago

I don't and I made one to use fb marketplace (I'm rural and it's all I have), but I don't post on it. I'm low key nervous about it. What if they throw a fit while I'm leaving, if I can convince my family to leave this forsaken place. I'm hoping it's more strict coming back because if I'm fortune enough to get my people to Europe, I'm never leaving again.

[–] jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works 49 points 1 week ago (2 children)

How to Get a US Visa (Without Really Trying)

Step 1: Create a Truth Social account.

Step 2: Create a litany of "truths" praising God Emperor Messiah Trump, the GREATEST president in the history of the universe.

Step 3: Share Truth Social account with US State Department. Remember, it's definitely the only social media account you have because why would anyone need anything but Truth Social?

Step 4: Get Visa.

[–] Slayer@infosec.pub 17 points 1 week ago

The question is why the fuck would you even bother for a visa to the land of the free pedophiles and fascists?

[–] No1@aussie.zone 9 points 1 week ago

Then when the next idiot from the other side gets in, they'll deny you a visa for having posted that lol

[–] itisileclerk@lemmy.world 40 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Why would anyone want to go in USA? There are lot of more beautifull, rich, safe, wellcoming places in the world.

[–] jojowakaki@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yes this. And on a very unrelated note. I heard in places with rampant crime like in Brazil, locals carry two phones. One real phone and the other one for specific times when you're being robbed.

Nice try, guy wearing a motorcycle helmet who wants two phones for the price of one bullet. I'm on to your schemes.

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

It's always shocking to me when new immigrants from Japan join the Japanese-English language exchange I frequent. Like why? Why now??

[–] SirMaple__@lemmy.ca 32 points 1 week ago
[–] stumu415@lemmy.zip 29 points 1 week ago

Who wants to travel to the fourth Reich anyways?

[–] Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago

Alt accounts, my guy

[–] Siegfried@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago

Not having social media is a problem?

[–] braindead@piefed.world 12 points 1 week ago

I wouldn't go to that shithole even if it was the last piece of dry land on earth.

[–] nosuchanon@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

You will have no civil liberties and you will obey. That is our future. A managed resource akin to cattle. With controlled populations for economic purposes.

[–] MerryJaneDoe@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

So many unanswered questions.

Why would the U.S. embassy in Bangkok be issuing this statement? Does this only apply to Thai citizens? And is this actually a change to U.S. policy? Hasn't ICE already been checking spot-checking social media accounts on mobile phones when people enter the country?

Anyway, fuck this trend.

[–] Maverick604@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Umm, US Customs has been asking for social media accounts from everyone entering the country for years… since trumps 1 st term. Perhaps the “for a visa” part is new but they’ve been loyalty checking for ages already.

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 week ago

I didn't have to give them any socials during Biden

[–] QueenMidna@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago

Only if you're not white.

I've done 3 visa applications since and never had to show mine

[–] FosterMolasses@leminal.space 7 points 1 week ago
[–] TwinTitans@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

LOL. Yeah no.

[–] riskable@programming.dev 4 points 1 week ago (3 children)

This is slightly unnerving to me. I mean, all my social media is already public but I post so much and so often, how would they even go through it all?

Me: "You want my social media accounts? Sure! They're all public, and Google says there's over 4.6 million words to go through—I actually had it run through them all to gather the real figures from its database—starting with newsgroups, then phBB forums, Slashdot, Digg, IRC logs, Reddit, Stack Overflow, and loads more. Good luck! I recommend sorting by most viewed and then most upvotes 👍"

Them: "Uh. What are newsgroups?"

Because much of my writing is highly technical, it's not exactly "beach reading" material. So let's assume the customs officer in charge of producing my biography can read it at about 150 WPM...

511 hours or 12.8 weeks if they're only going to read during their 40-hour work schedule. They'd have to spend over three months reading my thoughts.

Imagine the line of people waiting behind me!

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Don't worry, it won't be a human going through it, but a horribly biased LLM. Have fun being labeled a terrorist!

[–] riskable@programming.dev 2 points 1 week ago

Have fun being labeled a terrorist!

A Microsoft AI being put in charge of that would come to that conclusion.

"EXTREME DANGER: This person wants to end software patents! They've been at it for over thirty years!"

[–] quips@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 week ago

Just an AI, but its also just totally unenforceable as there’s nothing stopping you from just not providing your accounts.

[–] greyfrog@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago

Just don't go.

[–] playoffchoice@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

This is why I don't use social media for anything except fluff, and I live in the US. The day is coming when this is going to be happening to US citizens too. Make a second account and log out of it, simple solution.

Hah! I have no social media.

Oh yeah, and there's absolutely no way you'd even get me to go to the US

[–] riskable@programming.dev 0 points 1 week ago

This is slightly unnerving to me. I mean, all my social media is already public but I post so much and so often, how would they even go through it all?

Me: "You want my social media accounts? Sure! They're all public, and Google says there's over 4.6 million words to go through—I actually had it run through them all to gather the real figures from its database—starting with newsgroups, then phBB forums, Slashdot, Digg, IRC logs, Reddit, Stack Overflow, and loads more. Good luck! I recommend sorting by most viewed and then most upvotes 👍"

Them: "Uh. What are newsgroups?"

Because much of my writing is highly technical, it's not exactly "beach reading" material. So let's assume the customs officer in charge of producing my biography can read it at about 150 WPM...

511 hours or 12.8 weeks if they're only going to read during their 40-hour work schedule. They'd have to spend over three months reading my thoughts.

Imagine the line of people waiting behind me!