To get a visa for France, I had to provide my full financial details -- bank statements, information on investments, etc. I also had to provide an FBI background check. To get a visa for China, you can be denied for content of social media posts. In Thailand, you can be arrested upon arrival if you've ever written a blog post critical of the king. The UK can bar entry based on the prior speech of applicants: rapper Tyler, the Creator was banned from entry. Right wing journalists have been denied entry to the UK, even a very popular talk radio host from the US has been denied entry into the UK for nothing more than his opinions -- despite no criminal record or any other "threat." Julien Blanc, an American "dating coach" has been denied entry by Britain, Australia and Brazil because he's a YouTube star "pickup artist."

Let's not pretend the US is unique in actually screening visa applicants and choosing to decide who can enter and who can not. I'm getting tired of the self-righteous condemnation of the United States when pretty much every country in the world discriminates in visa issuance. But the immigration policies of India, Mexico, Japan, Korea or Australia are far less interesting in this click-bait media world in which we live.

"bank statements, information on investments, etc"

There is nothing personal in bank statements compared to social media profiles.

I think that letting a foreign entity know about your financial status is pretty "personal", at least for a guy like me it is. Back to the article on point, I remember criticizing the US's need to ask for fingertips from potential visa applicants 12 years ago, in a discussion with my former co-workers. Since then things have gotten worse and worse in terms of privacy (this being just the latest example).

It shows who you've been paying, who's been paying you, how much, and how often.

That basically describes your entire life.

There's a difference between a blacklist of politically non-desired people and a policy applying to everyone. It's a slippery slope, but a slope nonetheless.

I’m curious: where do you live?

It’s not just the US though, the whole ultra-surveillance shtick is very much an international problem. Here in the UK it’s not that great either, and China is full on dystopia. I’m not excusing the US, but we need to accept that this isn’t just the Americans, it’s more and more of the world.

No one asked to see my phone or any device when I entered China two times through two different cities.

No one cared about by email addresses or social media accounts.

I work for a major academic medical institution. When our researchers attend conferences in China, or go there to give talks, we have to make sure to lock down their computers or give them burners that don't have important research documents. There have been many allegations of government sponsored agents entering hotel rooms while guest were out to copy drives of prominent American researchers.

Source: People at my institution who I put a lot of faith in (but are maybe paranoid).

If I need to disclose all my "social media" profiles in order to visit Yosemite again I'm doing it without blinking.

You won't visit the US because they want your social media details?

Americans may be shocked to discover that given the downward trajectory of the US at the moment, for many international travellers this is yet one more reason to choose somewhere else over the US. It's hardly extreme to avoid a country that keeps providing reason after reason to avoid it.

Especially for people who have been outspoken about the US' illegal wars and various war crimes.

I could replace US in your post with many European, Asian, African, etc. countries.

>Americans may be shocked to discover that given the downward trajectory of the US at the moment,

... ok, sure sure.

It's rather extreme to refuse to visit the US because of just that. However, refusing to visit countries that do things you don't agree with is a rational decision. I have a friend who declared he would totally refuse to visit North Korea -- why do you want to spend your money to enrich a shitty country and government? More practically, why do you want to spend vacation time being pissed off if you have literally hundreds of other choices?

No, it is actually not extreme at all to refuse to visit because of this. It is non of your countries business.

The only extreme thing with this, is collecting this useless information.

We don't care. Have a good life.

You do realize that visa policies are typically reciprocal, yes? So Americans will now be required to show their social media details to get visas.

Also, it seems to me that one of the best things about America is, or was, that people from all over the world went there or wanted to go there.

This kind of condescending smugness helps nobody. You'll start caring when you lose your convention industry, and American corporations find it difficult to bring the best international staff to the US (which has already begun).