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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[–] nosuchanon@lemmy.world 8 points 14 hours 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.

[–] Siegfried@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

Not having social media is a problem?

[–] braindead@piefed.world 10 points 1 day ago

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

[–] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 124 points 2 days 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 11 points 1 day 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.

[–] Maverick604@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 day ago (1 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 “foot a visa” part is new but they’ve been loyalty checking for ages already.

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

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

[–] itisileclerk@lemmy.world 38 points 1 day 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 day 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 day ago* (last edited 1 day 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??

[–] viral.vegabond@piefed.social 65 points 2 days ago (3 children)

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

[–] tacosanonymous@mander.xyz 65 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Believe it or not, straight to jail.

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

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

[–] Malyca@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 day 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.

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

People still use LinkedIn?

[–] dreamkeeper@literature.cafe 1 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

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

[–] jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works 48 points 1 day 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 16 points 1 day 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 day ago

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

[–] riskable@programming.dev 4 points 1 day 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!

[–] greyfrog@sh.itjust.works 1 points 14 hours ago

Just don't go.

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day 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 1 points 5 hours 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 day ago

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

[–] SirMaple__@lemmy.ca 30 points 1 day ago
[–] stumu415@lemmy.zip 27 points 1 day ago

Who wants to travel to the fourth Reich anyways?

[–] MerryJaneDoe@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day 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.

[–] FosterMolasses@leminal.space 7 points 1 day ago

Hah! I have no social media.

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

[–] playoffchoice@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day 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.

[–] Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago

Alt accounts, my guy

[–] TwinTitans@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

LOL. Yeah no.

[–] riskable@programming.dev 0 points 1 day 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!