say NO to DHS Social Media Password Requirement

["David Farber" <farber () gmail com>]

NO to DHS Social Media Password Requirement

21 February 2017

Co alition Condemns DHS Proposal to Demand Passwords to Enter the U.S.

The undersigned coalition of human rights and civil liberties organizations, trade associations, and experts in 
security, technology, and the law expresses deep concern about the comments made by Secretary John Kelly at the House 
Homeland Security Committee hearing on February 7th, 2017, suggesting the Department of Homeland Security could require 
non-citizens to provide the passwords to their social media accounts as a condition of entering the country.

We recognize the important role that DHS plays in protecting the United States’ borders and the challenges it faces in 
keeping the U.S. safe, but demanding passwords or other account credentials without cause will fail to increase the 
security of U.S. citizens and is a direct assault on fundamental rights.

This proposal would enable border officials to invade people’s privacy by examining years of private emails, texts, and 
messages. It would expose travelers and everyone in their social networks, including potentially millions of U.S. 
citizens, to excessive, unjustified scrutiny. And it would discourage people from using online services or taking their 
devices with them while traveling, and would discourage travel for business, tourism, and journalism.

Demands from U.S. border officials for passwords to social media accounts will also set a precedent that may ultimately 
affect all travelers around the world. This demand is likely to be mirrored by foreign governments, which will demand 
passwords from U.S. citizens when they seek entry to foreign countries. This would compromise U.S. economic security, 
cybersecurity, and national security, as well as damage the U.S.’s relationships with foreign governments and their 
citizenry.

Policies to demand passwords as a condition of travel, as well as more general efforts to force individuals to disclose 
their online activity, including potentially years’ worth of private and public communications, create an intense 
chilling effect on individuals. Freedom of expression and press rights, access to information, rights of association, 
and religious liberty are all put at risk by these policies.

The first rule of online security is simple: Do not share your passwords. No government agency should undermine 
security, privacy, and other rights with a blanket policy of demanding passwords from individuals.

Organizations and Trade Associations

11/9 Coalition
Access Now
ACOS Alliance
Advocacy for Principled Action in Government

American Civil Liberties Union
American Library Association
American Society of Journalists & Authors American Society of News Editors

Americans for Immigrant Justice Association of Alternative Newsmedia Association of Research Libraries
Bill of Rights Defense Committee/Defending

Dissent Foundation Bolo Bhi

Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of LosAngeles
Center for Democracy & Technology Comic Book 
Legal Defense Fund Committee to Protect Journalists Computer & Communications IndustryAssociation
The Constitution Project

Consumer Action

Consumer Technology Association

Council on American-Islamic Relations 
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Engine
Free Speech Coalition

Future of Privacy Forum 
Global Network Initiative Human Rights Watch

Individual Experts

Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Index on Censorship
International Association of Exhibitions and Events

Internet Association
Internet Society
Internews
Legal Aid Justice Center
Media Freedom Foundation
National Coalition Against Censorship 
National Consumers League

National Hispanic Media Coalition
New America's Open Technology Institute 
Online Trust Alliance
Paradigm Initiative
Pen America
Project Censored
Public Citizen
Reporters Without Borders
Resilient Communities Program, New America Restore the Fourth
United Church of Christ, OC Inc.
Woodhull Freedom Foundation
World Privacy Forum

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