@aviationdoctor.eth

The US are now considering expanding to additional countries the requirement for foreign visitors to disclose their full socials for the last five years. That requirement had already existed since June of this year for some countries (see the Mali link below). My experience is that these measures are textbook ratchet effect. They are never reversed (nobody wants to take the political risk) but are often generalized and enshrined over time. In this instance, I expect that the current “last five years only” and “some countries” caveats will eventually be dropped after some habituation period. Anecdotal case in point: a decade ago, I had to travel to Iran as part of a work-related fact-finding mission following the US-negotiated JCPOA sanctions relief. I was advised that I’d be barred from applying to US ESTA for a five-year period, but I agreed to the trip anyway. At some point along the way, that five-year cooldown was discreetly extended in perpetuity, which means I’ll never be able to apply for ESTA ever again. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dz0g2ykpeo.amp https://ml.usembassy.gov/u-s-requires-public-social-media-settings-for-f-m-and-j-visa-applicants/

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