Recently the US government begun asking travellers entering into the country to disclose active social media accounts. The reason is said to be an effort to spot potential terrorist threats. Visitors filling out the online visa waiver application (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) are required to input account names on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.

Chances are that if you’ll be questioned, your passwords may be “confiscated”, as well. Check out Engadget’s article “The Border Patrol can take your password. Now what?” to learn more.

I don’t mind fighting terrorism but believe few of them, if any, will be caught after having disclosed accounts and passwords. The odds of that… Instead, I’m concerned where we’re heading regarding foundational democratic rights. What happens when a government goes from being good to being bad, and we’ve surrendered everything?

La Grulla, Texas, USA - September 21, 2015: A Border Patrol agent searches a 14 year old Honduran boy he apprehended on the banks of the Rio Grande River attempting to enter the United States illegally. There was a sharp increase in the number of unaccompanied Central American juveniles, most fleeing gang violence, trying to enter the U.S. illegally over the summer.