Its true that......

[StraightShooter 62]

There's this little act called the US PATRIOT ACT...

Which means if the federal government thinks you are up to something you shouldn't be they can tap your phones, intercept your email and keep you under surveillance with out a court order. Now this only pertains if they think you are carrying on or engaged in terrorist activities.

USCIS is covered under this act. They will investigate and find things about you, you didn't even know about.

"Access was given to the Department of State and the INS to criminal background information contained in the National Crime Information Center's Interstate Identification Index (NCIC-III), Wanted Persons File and any other files maintained by the National Crime Information Center to determine whether visa applicants and applicants could be admitted to the U.S.[99] The Department of State was required to form final regulations governing the procedures for taking fingerprints and the conditions with which the department was allowed to use this information.[100] Additionally, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was ordered to develop a technology standard to verify the identity of persons applying for a United States visa.[100] The reason was to make the standard the technology basis for a cross-agency, cross-platform electronic system used for conducting background checks, confirming identities and ensuring that people have not received visas under different names"

If you have nothing to hide, it's not a worry.

I don't think they're going to hack your email to see if your cheating on your significant other.

I’m fully aware of the Patriot Act and nowhere in your quote does it say anything about hacking into an email account for immigration purposes. What you’ve listed is standard background check stuff, not the CIA looking for terrorists.

The old schtick about “if you have nothing to hide, there is nothing to fear” bit is ludicrous. This thread isn’t about me, I’m simply trying to reassure the OP that the mighty US government isn’t hacking into his email or computer and tracking down anything he’s ever written anywhere about his immigration stuff.

As for me… before I retired I held a TS/SBI plus clearance and there is nothing about me that I don’t already know. Such comments are not helpful to the OP. We’re not trying to scare him off, we’re trying to help him, right? (BTW - I used to work right next door to the NIST HQ and was in there frequently.)

There was a woman here with a problematic immigration journey from sub sarahan, way back when I was a newbie that claimed at their interview the CO had pictures of her in her traditional wedding dress ( They were applying for a K1 ) and emails where they used husband and wife. She claimed that he was the only one that she had sent the picture to and that he said he hadn't forwarded the picture. They were ultimately denied totally for misrep do to a fake passport issue in his past. I have no reason to believe that she made up her story. The government has long had the right to monitor emails from outside the US into the US ( Shortly after 9-11)

Yes, I recall reading about that one here on VJ myself. They really stubbed their toes on several fronts. As far as the government hacking into and reading emails… it’s not as simple as it sounds. For one thing, not all accounts use actual names and are not limited to a single location. For another, there are billions sent daily. Not to mention that a genuine reason would be needed. I’m sure the NSA could do a world of hurt on tracking things down, but they’d have to have a mighty good reason.

I have read several interview reports where people were asked for their facebook or email password. You can refuse to give it of course, but they can deny your visa, of course... This is much more clever than hacking, and just as efficient.

Now for the "they investigate information about you that even you don't know about", come on, let's not be irrational. USCIS and DOS have access to governmental databases: criminal and immigration-related, mostly. They don't read people's minds.

Now this makes more sense. Being asked for a password beats all that James Bond hokey pokey stuff. I remember reading one thread here on VJ where a beneficiary (Filipina?) was advised by the CO at her interview that her fiancé was still having serious conversations with someone else, as gleaned from his Facebook page. Or maybe it was the other way around. But anyway, those were public conversations, if I recall correctly. No hacking was needed.

[sheeshkabelle 153]

I’m fully aware of the Patriot Act and nowhere in your quote does it say anything about hacking into an email account for immigration purposes. What you’ve listed is standard background check stuff, not the CIA looking for terrorists.

I never said it did. I said only if they think you are carrying on terrorist activities.

The old schtick about “if you have nothing to hide, there is nothing to fear” bit is ludicrous.

Not really. If you've been cheating on your wife/fiance/husband and are dumb enough to leave a trail that's easily picked up, then ya, it's going to be found out.

This thread isn’t about me, I’m simply trying to reassure the OP that the mighty US government isn’t hacking into his email or computer and tracking down anything he’s ever written anywhere about his immigration stuff.

I even said they're not going to hack your email to see if your cheating. Or even what you do in your spare time. But again. If a person is dumb enough to leave a trail of evidence...

As for me… before I retired I held a TS/SBI plus clearance and there is nothing about me that I don’t already know. Such comments are not helpful to the OP. We’re not trying to scare him off, we’re trying to help him, right? (BTW - I used to work right next door to the NIST HQ and was in there frequently.)

Good for You!

People post things on the internet, or others post things about them, they either forget about or don't know about. A simple Google of someones name and location brings up a lot of information on them. Is the government going to purposely go lurking about on the internet just to see what's going on? No, they have better things to do with their day.

As Lure said, there have been times when a CO thinks something is up and will ask for passwords. It is quite possible that CO did a Google, found something and already knows something is up. Just like we try to tell our children, don't put something on the internet you don't want others to see. It's there forever.

[Laure&Colin 558]

I just googled myself and my interaction with the US ambassador in France during a question & answer session is all over the place

[GnBnL 50]

I don't think they care if you're cheating. HOw can they define your relationship....for all they know, maybe you guys are swingers! I think they are only concerned with law-breaking. It probably varies country to country, but I believe they have bigger fish to fry than worry if you're cheating.

[Boiler 46,242]

Assume they know everything you do not want them to and nothing you do.

[Laure&Colin 558]

I don't think they care if you're cheating. HOw can they define your relationship....for all they know, maybe you guys are swingers! I think they are only concerned with law-breaking. It probably varies country to country, but I believe they have bigger fish to fry than worry if you're cheating.

This is probably true for Canada or France, but not in high fraud countries, where cheating is found to be an indication of a sham marriage/relationship and fraudulous intent.

[GnBnL 50]

This is probably true for Canada or France, but not in high fraud countries, where cheating is found to be an indication of a sham marriage/relationship and fraudulous intent.

Indeed. That's why I believe I mentioned it probably varies.