Under a new vetting policy that is being considered by the Donald Trump administration, travellers from the United Kingdom entering the United States may have to reveal their personal information to the authorities, reported The Guardian. Besides the UK, other US allies such as Germany and France will also be subjected to this policy.
The personal information that will have to be shared will include social media passwords, financial information and mobile contacts. If they refuse to, the travellers may be denied entry to the country. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a US non-profit campaigning for digital civil rights, said if a visitor refuses to share their password details, the agent may respond by denying them entry.
“Keeping America safe and enforcing our nation’s laws in an increasingly digital world depends on our ability to lawfully examine all materials entering the US,” The Guardian reported quoting the US customs and border patrol.
Last month, the US had announced a ban on electronic devices larger than a phone in carry-on luggage on flights. This was based on intelligence which had suggested that militants prefer “smuggling explosive devices in various consumer items”.
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