Thread by @cmd_dc

1/ Today, the Biden admin said it would continue to defend a Trump-era rule requiring visa applicants to register their social media handles with the U.S. government.

knightcolumbia.org/blog/biden-adm…

2/ The social media registration requirement has rotten roots. The State Dep’t adopted it following Trump’s “extreme vetting” order in connection with the #MuslimBan

3/ And it’s the subject of an ongoing 1A challenge filed by @knightcolumbia @BrennanCenter and Simpson Thacher on behalf of @TheDocSociety and @IDAorg.

knightcolumbia.org/cases/doc-soci…

4/ Since 2019, the State Dep’t has required nearly all visa applicants to hand over all handles they’ve used on social media platforms—including pseudonyms—over the preceding 5 years.

5/ The State Dep’t and DHS can retain the collected info indefinitely, share it broadly among federal agencies, and disclose it, in some circumstances, to foreign governments.

6/ The registration requirement chills online speech and association and deters travel to the United States, while proving largely useless for national security or visa vetting purposes.

justsecurity.org/67627/social-m…

7/ We had hoped Biden might weed out the registration requirement after he revoked the #MuslimBan and ordered a review of the use of social media handles.

knightcolumbia.org/blog/biden-adm…

8/ While the Biden admin may still move to rescind the registration requirement, its court filing today stated that it did not anticipate doing so.

knightcolumbia.org/documents/p86o…

9/ This is surprising—and disappointing—given the admin’s review, as well as its recent rejection of a DHS proposal to extend the same requirement to millions more people each year.

knightcolumbia.org/blog/a-promisi…

10/ In light of today’s ominous filing, the Biden admin must release the report culminating its review. And the court should invalidate the registration requirement, which is as rotten as its roots.