Immigration
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Tech workers unite against a potential US Muslim registry
Employees from large organizations across the technology industry have pledged to never help build a government database targeting individuals by race, religion or national origin, in response to extreme immigration proposals from US President-elect Donald Trump. The signatories come from companies including Google, IBM, Twitter, Mozilla and NVIDIA, though they don't represent the organizations themselves.
NYC will stop collecting info Trump could use for deportations
The NYC mayor's office has announced that it will no longer store personal records for immigrants who apply for the city's free IDNYC identification card. While the card allows users to secure accounts for utilities, banking and more, officials fear President-elect Trump could use the database for his proposed deportation plans. Mayor Bill de Blasio said in the weeks following the election that he would keep cardholders' personal records from the federal government and other authorities.
The US tech industry will suffer if Trump tightens immigration laws
As Nov. 8th came to a close, and it became clear that America had elected Donald Trump as its next president, a familiar feeling crept over me. It was a deep sense of anxiety that arises every year or so as I begin preparing the documents I need to renew my work visa. I never know for sure if I'll still be in the country next year, but I've never felt quite so unsure about whether I would be able to continue working here.
Trump advisor takes issue with Silicon Valley's Asian CEOs
Before President-elect Donald Trump's chief strategist Stephen Bannon was headed to the White House, he was running "platform for the alt-right" website Breitbart News. Aside from overseeing the publication of anti-Semitic and misogynistic articles, Bannon also hosted the site's Sirius XM radio show. A segment from November 5th, 2015 that featured an interview with Trump has resurfaced thanks to The Washington Post. Mostly, it covers stuff like campaign financing, but at around the 16:23 mark, talk goes to H-1B visas for skilled workers to help keep them in the country after graduating from college.
Chat bot helps immigrants complete their visas
Legal-minded chat bots are useful for more than just fighting parking tickets -- they might just start your life in a new land. Visabot has launched a namesake Facebook Messenger chat AI that helps you complete US visa applications. After you answer a slew of questions, the bot fills out the relevant forms and gives you instructions on how to send those documents to immigration officials. And it should learn over time -- if you voluntarily report officials' decisions on those forms, you can improve the bot's approach for future applications.
Homeland Security wants social media info from foreign visitors
Someday, departure and arrival forms in the US might have a new section asking foreign nationals for their Facebook and Twitter accounts. The Department of Homeland Security has submitted a proposal to add a section in those forms that reads: "Please enter information associated with your online presence--Provider/Platform--Social media identifier." According to the info published by the Federal Register, it would be an optional field and would only ask for people's usernames on social media platforms, not their passwords.
Egyptian student faces deportation over Trump threat
An Egyptian student studying in California faces deportation after posting a threatening message about Donald Trump on Facebook. 23-year-old Emad Elsayed posted a picture of Trump on FB back in February with a caption to the effect of, according to his attorney, "If I killed this guy I wouldn't mind serving a life sentence and the world would thank me." While this statement seems fairly innocuous compared to the abuse President Obama endures on social media (and most women for that matter), federal agents have since detained Elsayed and are now threatening to deport him.
Google CEO speaks up against 'intolerant discourse'
Following a slew of tech CEOs coming out against anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric, Sundar Pichai published his first essay on Medium tonight. Like Mark Zuckerberg and others his words stand in contrast to those of Donald Trump and others who suggest the country close its doors to immigrants from certain places or religions. According to Pichai, "Let's not let fear defeat our values. We must support Muslim and other minority communities in the US and around the world."
The tech industry teams up to take on Donald Trump
Inexplicable presidential candidate Donald Trump has spoken loudly about his distaste for immigration, as well as the mass-deportation he would institute if elected. That puts him squarely at odds with much of the tech industry, which is pushing for immigration reform and a pathway for undocumented immigrants to gain citizenship. Now, lobby group FWD.us has released an emotive video speaking out against Trump's dystopian vision by showing the human cost of such a policy.
Zuckerberg: Facebook will fight to protect Muslim rights
It's hard to open a laptop or cellphone these days and not be appalled by the latest awful or just plain factually incorrect thing Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has said on the campaign trail. Thankfully, the list of prominent voices speaking out against him (even among his own party) continues to grow. The latest addition? None other than Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg. The Social Network head responded to the priapic real estate mogul's calling for a "total and complete" shutdown of Muslims immigrating to the United States, saying that his Jewish upbringing means he was raised to stand up against attacks on all communities.
Immigrating to the US was hard, but tech will make it easier
When I arrived in the US just after New Year's Day in 1999, I didn't think I would stay. I came here for school and fully expected to return to Malaysia after I was done. Except I didn't. I met my future husband, found new friends, stumbled onto an exciting career and I knew, deep in my heart, that there was no way I could leave. So I began the long and arduous process of making this country my home. Finally, on February 22nd, 2010, I became a citizen of the United States. The entire process cost me hundreds of dollars, required multiple trips to the immigration office and had me filling out lots and lots of forms. I kept thinking the entire time that there had to be an easier way. It turns out the US government thinks so too.
VR exhibit sheds light on immigrants chasing the American Dream
Immigration is a sensitive topic in the US, due to the millions of people living here without legal status. It's known to spark heated debates throughout the country, with politicians, human rights activists and lawmakers all fighting for their respective cause. To get to the heart of it, you have to go to the deserts of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas, which are main entry points for immigrants looking to cross into the US illegally. US security officials have spent years trying to stop this or, at the very least, slow it down -- they've even built a massive wall along the Mexican border.
Technology and immigrant tales collide at Ellis Island
The story of humanity's migration across the world, starting with the people who first ventured out of Africa roughly 60,000 years ago, is well-documented. Since then, our lifestyle has evolved tremendously, with technological advancements in key areas such as transportation playing a large role in that. To put things into perspective, a one-way trip from China to San Francisco would have taken 45 days on a ship 150 years ago, now it is a mere 16-hour flight. And that's the story being told at NYC's Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration.
A digital globe and 200,000 years of human migration
The Ellis Island Immigration Museum suffered the devastation of Hurricane Sandy firsthand. Now, more than two years after the storm struck New York City (and many other places), the building is celebrating its comeback with a new name: Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. Under this rejuvenated image, the museum will tell the story of humans moving across the entire world, rather than focusing just on those that passed through its iconic halls. Three new exhibits are going to be inaugurated on May 20th, all delivering content based on the pre- and post-Ellis Island days. One of them is the World Migration Globe, a custom-made sphere that's powered by two HD projectors and delivers a nine-minute video presentation about the 200,000 years of human migration.
iPads, Please: Paper-pushing game hits iOS sans nudity
Immigration inspection game Papers, Please will reach iPad tomorrow, the game's creator Lucas Pope revealed on Twitter. The game, which has players accepting and rejecting immigrants attempting to enter the fictional state of Arstotzka, first launched in August 2013 on PC and Mac and reached 500,000 copies sold as of March. The iOS version of the game is slightly different than its PC sibling, however. Pope noted that the search scanner photos in the game no longer have the full nudity option, as Apple "rejected that build for containing 'pornographic content.'" Papers, Please will receive a PlayStation Vita port, though Pope expressed uncertainty in February on how that version would work, given that the handheld system presents a lot of "interesting UI challenges." The developer also tweeted today that he handled the iPad version on his own, but that there's no estimated launch date for the Vita version, adding he "probably announced it too early." [Image: 3909]
US Immigration and Customs choose iPhone as on-the-job mobile device
The US Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently posted a justification report on the Federal Business Opportunities website describing a deal it has made to pick up iPhones and iOS devices for 17,676 of its users. The iOS services will be used for standard phone tasks like communication, voicemail and GPS services to begin with, but "ICE," as the office is called, is also looking towards the future, as the report allows for things like biometric scanning and other security checks to be done with iPhones and iPads. Apple's system, then, meets all of the requirements that ICE needs for a communications network, and the division wants to use Apple's services to promote third-party developers to put together secure solutions for its work, as well as the ability to make and distribute its own apps out to users. Sounds like iOS fits the bill well for the department, and provides for plenty more possibilities in the future. [via TechCrunch]
Immigration deports Alexey Karetnikov: Microsoft engineer, alleged Russian spy, loyal Facebook user
The curious case of the Russian spies grows, well, curiouser, as the Washington Post reports that a Microsoft Software Design Engineer named Alexey Karetnikov has recently been ordered out of the country for "immigration violations." According to a government source, Karetnikov had "just set up shop," (spy shop, that is) and the immigration charges were technicalities used to get him out of the country quickly (and without an annoying trial). We just hope that Alexey followed our advice for managing Facebook privacy settings -- it would be terribly ironic if he was exposed to the world through his naive use of the social networking sites.
Laptops can be confiscated and searched at US border without cause says report
In further evidence of our rapidly eroding civil liberties, the Department of Homeland Security disclosed today that US Customs and Border Protection and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement have the right to confiscate and search a traveler's laptop or other electronic device without any suspicion of wrongdoing. The rules -- which we reported on in February -- allow for searches of hard drives, flash drives, cellphones, iPods, pagers, and video or audio tapes, and specify that the agencies can "detain" belongings for a "reasonable period of time," (i.e., as long as they please). Additionally, the DHS can share the data found with other government agencies or private entities for translation, decryption, or (astoundingly vague) "other reasons." The DHS says the policies apply to anyone entering the country -- including US citizens -- and claim the measures are necessary to prevent terrorism. In other news, Big Brother issued a statement today guaranteeing a bonus for turning over family members suspected of crimethink to the Thought Police.[Via Switched]
ICED makes game out of Immigration debate
A new free download game for PC and Mac looks to inform people of US immigration practices targeting legal permanent residents, asylum seekers, students and undocumented immigrants. GameDaily explains that ICED (I Can End Deportation), by international human rights organization Breakthough, seeks to give players another perspective on the immigration debate. Playing as one of five characters with different backgrounds the player can end up being deported, incarcerated, voluntarily deported or become a citizen.The game's designer, Heidi Boisvert, says the game was created to show people what happens to thousands of immigrants on a daily basis. She hopes that people will become more aware of the scope of the situation through the game and take action. The download is less than 100 MB and takes 15-45 minutes to play. At least this game is a little more sensitive and culturally relevant than Border Patrol.
Web surfers to help Texas monitor border cams
Texas Governor Rick Perry has just announced a plan to leverage the eyeballs of millions of voyeuristic web surfers into a de facto army of unpaid border guards, by allowing the general public to watch live streams from video cameras trained on the Mexican border and call a toll-free number to report illegal crossings. Although the governor did not go into details on how many cameras would be installed nor how far apart they would be positioned, he did estimate the cost of the program at around five million dollars, which would buy almost 3,000 high-def HDR-HC3 camcorders even if Sony decided not to give the state a bulk discount. Leaving the whole immigration issue aside, what really stands out about this project is that it could possibly set a precedent for inner-city officials to open up their surveillance cameras to John Q. Public -- so instead of some authoritarian regime monitoring every citizen's activities, "Big Brother" will actually become all of us.[Via BBC News]
