Kentucky Senator and Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul stated, “Outside the country, there really are no constitutional protections” when asked about surveillance of people who aren’t US citizens that are applying to come into the US, although he stated that you need to get a warrant for things that aren’t “public record” and that he “can’t tell private companies what to do” on Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper.”
When asked how much authority the US government should have to look into the social media accounts of non-citizens, Rand said, “if it’s public record, I don’t think there should be hardly any limits to public record.” He added, when asked about their private messages, “if you want to look at something that you don’t have access to, that’s not part of public record, then you have to get a warrant.”
After Rand stated that he was against a “sweeping dragnet,” he was asked,”What about a general sweeping dragnet when it comes to people who are not American citizens, who are applying to come into this country?” He answered, “Outside the country, there really are no constitutional protections, and a lot of people misconceive, even on immigration, and other subject, if you’re not in our country, there are no constitutional protections for you.”
He further said, in response to a question on whether a social media platform like Facebook should offer access to the private accounts of people applying to enter the US if they are asked, that he “can’t tell private companies what to do. … I wouldn’t force Facebook to do it, but I think public open social media forums, sure we should look at them.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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