US State Department's AI-Fueled Visa Revocation Plan Raises Concerns About Free Speech and Privacy

The US State Department's AI-Fueled Visa Revocation Plan

The US State Department is planning to use artificial intelligence to revoke visas of foreign students who are perceived as supporters of Hamas, according to a report by Axios. This plan has raised concerns about potential errors, misidentifications, and privacy violations.

The "catch and revoke" effort will involve AI-assisted reviews of tens of thousands of student visa holders' social media accounts. Officials will also check news reports of previous demonstrations against Israel's policies and Jewish students' lawsuits highlighting foreign nationals allegedly engaging in antisemitism.

This plan has been met with criticism from civil rights groups and legal experts. They argue that using AI for surveillance could lead to errors, misidentifications, and privacy violations. Additionally, they argue that the plan violates the First Amendment's protection of free speech and assembly.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has published an open letter urging colleges and universities to not bow to federal pressure to use surveillance or punish international students or faculty if they were involved in any campus protests. The group said the protests are constitutionally protected free speech.

"It is disturbing to see the White House threatening freedom of speech and academic freedom on US college campuses so blatantly," said Cecillia Wang, legal director of the ACLU and co-author of the letter. "Trump's latest coercion campaign, attempting to turn university administrators against their own students and faculty, harkens back to the McCarthy era and is at odds with American constitutional values and the basic mission of universities."

The US State Department is working with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security on this plan. The three departments had no immediate comment.