Blog
ASNE opposes DHS social media password requirement
- By: ASNE staff
- On: 03/02/2017 10:00:11
- In: First Amendment
ASNE joined more than 50 nonprofit organizations and about 90 individuals on a joint statement saying "NO" to any proposed requirement that travelers disclose their social media passwords at the border before entering the United States. This concept has been discussed at several times and in several ways over the past few months, most recently when the Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly suggested to a congressional panel that it could be a condition of entry for noncitizens.
Our statement opposes any such proposal because it would "fail to increase the security of U.S. citizens and is a direct assault on fundamental rights." We believe there would be a particularly harsh impact on journalists as foreign journalists might fear their sources could be compromised upon entering the US and American journalists might find themselves subject to similar, reciprocal requirements when traveling overseas.