Rules about posting cautiously on social media appear to be particularly relevant to anyone entering the United States. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) used an artificial intelligence tool to scan social platforms to identify posts by visa applicants that were "derogatory" of the United States.
The system, called Giant Oak Search Technology (GOST), ranks a person's social media score from 1 to 100 based on content it deems relevant to the user's specific tasks. The database is searchable by identifying information such as an individual's name, address, email address and nationality.
After clicking on a specific individual, analysts can review images gleaned from that person's social media accounts and elsewhere and rate them with a thumbs up or thumbs down. Analysts can also view the person's social media profiles and their "social graph" to understand their potential connections to others.
According to 404 Media, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Northern California (ACLU of Northern California) revealed that the USCIS and multiple government agencies have been using GOST since 2014. Since 2017, ICE has provided money to Giant Oak Inc., according to public procurement records.
GOST was part of a 2016 pilot program called the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Patriot Social Media Pilot Program, which targeted potential overstay violators from relevant countries.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the State Department, the Air Force and the U.S. Treasury Department’s Fiscal Service have all paid for Giant Oak’s services over nearly a decade.
The GOST website says it leverages information on the open and deep web and applies search parameters based on behavioral patterns rather than identity tags.
"The government should not be using algorithms to scrutinize our social media posts and decide which of us are 'dangerous,'" said Patrick Toomey, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) National Security Project. "Government agencies certainly should not be purchasing this black box technology in secret without any accountability." The Department of Homeland Security needs to explain to the public how its systems determine whether a person is a 'risk' and what happens to people whose online posts are flagged by its algorithms. "
Records show the Department of Homeland Security's contract with Giant Oak ends in August 2022.
Back in 2019, the Trump administration introduced new rules, first proposed in March 2018, whereby visa applicants would have to hand over details of any social media channels they had used in the past five years. The Departments of State and Homeland Security can retain this information indefinitely, share it with other federal agencies, and disclose it to foreign governments under certain circumstances.
Just in 2019, a Harvard University student was denied entry to the United States because of his friend's social media activity.