Neowin News Feed for: Immigration

ICE now using AI software that can search eight billion social media posts per day

Paul Hill — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 07:02:01 +0000

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) now has licenses to use Zignal Labs, a platform used by the Pentagon and Israeli military to scan social media with AI. Read more...

What tech leaders say about Trump's $100,000 application fee on H-1B visas

Hamid Ganji — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 15:38:01 +0000

H-1B visas remain one of the key pathways for US companies to recruit top international talent. Applicants are now required to pay a $100,000 fee to the US government. Read more...

Meta admits it has been censoring for the last several years, now wants to copy Musk

Paul Hill — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 13:14:01 +0000

Meta has made a radical shift in its content moderation policies. It's scrapping fact-checkers in favor of community notes and will let people discuss political issues like migration and gender. Read more...

Google employees proposed changes to search function to foil Trump's travel ban

Jay Bonggolto — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 04:24:02 +0000

At the height of the U.S. travel ban signed last year, Google employees apparently considered making tweaks to search functions in order to counter President Donald Trump's immigration order. Read more...

Study connects Facebook engagement with real-life anti-refugee hate crimes

Sharath Ravishankar — Wed, 22 Aug 2018 14:32:01 +0000

A study on right-wing groups in Germany has correlated the rise in anti-refugee sentiments in social media with a directly related rise in real-life hate crimes against these communities. Read more...

Microsoft might move jobs abroad because of U.S. immigration rules

Paul Hill — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 10:50:01 +0000

Microsoft's Brad Smith said that the firm could move jobs abroad if the U.S. sticks to its current trajectory on immigration. He said the workforce makes Microsoft valuable so they need protecting. Read more...

A majority of Microsoft employees want to continue working with ICE, as per a recent survey

Hamza Jawad — Tue, 03 Jul 2018 10:36:01 +0000

Only 44% of Microsoft employees who took part in a recent survey want the company to alter or end current contracts with ICE. A total of 1180 employees participated in this survey. Read more...

Microsoft says it's 'dismayed' at the separation of children following ICE contract backlash

Muhammad Jarir Kanji — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 16:04:01 +0000

Following recent controversial policies by ICE, Microsoft has come under fire on social media for providing Azure services to the government agency, and issued a statement clarifying their work. Read more...

Russians spent a whole 73p to “meddle” in Brexit vote

Paul Hill — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 05:00:01 +0000

Facebook has announced that Russia did not significantly impact the Brexit vote after it found just 73p had been spent during the campaign. The ads were seen by a somewhat paltry 200 people. Read more...

US immigrants to be subject to collection of social media and search data

Muhammad Jarir Kanji — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 01:50:01 +0000

Following an updated policy with regard to the Privacy Act, the Department of Homeland Security will now start collecting social media and search info on all immigrants, including green card holders. Read more...

Satya Nadella, Microsoft stand with "DREAMers" over reported end to DACA

Gurkaran Singh — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 07:56:02 +0000

The Trump administration is reportedly considering a ban on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Satya Nadella and Brad Smith, in separate blog posts, took a stance against the move. Read more...

U.S. visa vetting process now seeks social media handles from certain applicants

Vishal Laul — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 19:40:01 +0000

The U.S. State Department has gone ahead with its proposal from last month, and will now ask certain visa applicants for details of their social media accounts during the vetting process. Read more...

Facebook Chatbot, 'DoNotPay,' provides legal aid for refugees

Mina Esapa — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 18:42:02 +0000

After success helping people to appeal parking tickets in London and New York, a chatbot powered by Facebook Messenger called "DoNotPay" now provides refugees and asylum seekers with free legal aid. Read more...

Microsoft, Apple and 95 other US tech companies file motion against Trump's immigration ban

Vlad Dudau — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 15:40:01 +0000

A large number of technology companies have come out in support of immigrants, which enrich the economy and the society they reside in, according to the companies' brief filed with the courts. Read more...

John Kelly confirms intentions to analyze social media and browsing history of US visitors

Daniel Hull — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 23:08:01 +0000

John Kelly has stated his commitment to analyzing social media accounts and the browsing history of potential visitors to the United States. The news builds on the White House's prior announcement. Read more...

White House considers asking US visitors to provide social media info, contacts, web history

Andy Weir — Sun, 29 Jan 2017 17:32:01 +0000

White House policy director Stephen Miller said officials are 'discussing the possibility' of requiring foreign visitors to disclose their social media activity, web history, and phone contacts. Read more...

Microsoft President Brad Smith reassures staff over new Trump immigration policies

Andy Weir — Sat, 28 Jan 2017 21:49:59 +0000

As Smith emailed staff to reassure them over new US border control concerns, Microsoft's CEO said that "as an immigrant" himself, he'd "experienced and seen the positive impact" of immigration. Read more...

Tech companies react to Trump executive order on immigration

Andy Weir — Sat, 28 Jan 2017 21:04:01 +0000

Many tech companies, with employees from around the world, have reacted with concern to new border controls affecting travellers from seven nations - including those who already hold US green cards. Read more...

Anonymous attack Donald Trump's hotel website

Paul Hill — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 18:26:01 +0000

Donald Trump has annoyed hackers with his remarks about Muslims. Anonymous responded to what he said by taking down the website of the New York Trump hotel website. Read more...

Satya Nadella to meet with Congressional Republicans on immigration, privacy reform

Vlad Dudau — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 12:18:01 +0000

Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, is meeting with a number of republicans in Congress to discuss major issues of the day and Microsoft's position on them, such as immigration and privacy reform. Read more...

Immigration Game Explores Social Issues

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 23:11:10 +0000

Part of a growing new genre of video games which allows players to delve into social and policy issues, "ICED!" invites players to step into the shoes of foreigners who run afoul of the U.S.... Read more...

Microsoft sings 'O Canada' amid immigration challenges

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 03:26:25 +0000

Following the failure of an immigration bill that would have expanded the number of foreign high-tech workers that could have come to the U.S. under so-called H1-B visas, Microsoft has decided to open a development... Read more...