ACLU Comment to CBP on Social Media PRA

The ACLU submitted these comments in response to a request for comment from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), on its proposal to seek social media identifiers on the standard questionnaire used in the visa waiver program. The comments explain how noticing this proposal as a revision of an existing collection of information, to be reviewed under the Paperwork Reduction Act, mischaracterizes the seriousness of the change. The proposed expansion would significantly increase the invasiveness of the information collected, have a chilling effect on their communications, and increase the complexity of the visa waiver decision-making process. We urge CBP to withdraw the 60-day notice and, if appropriate after further development, re-initiate the process as a significant change to an existing regulation.