In New York (the state, not just the city) there's a rather Orwellian gun bill on the table that would require would-be firearm purchasers to turn over 3 years of their social media history and one year of their internet search history if they want to buy a gun.

"A three-year review of a social media profile would give an easy profile of a person who is not suitable to hold and possess a firearm," said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who has proposed the legislation with New York State Senator Kevin Parker. (source)

Applicants to purchase a gun would be required by law to turn over their social media passwords to accounts like Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram, and they'd have to allow police to see a year's worth of their searches on a year's worth of searches on Google, Yahoo, and Bing.  As well, anyone renewing their permit for a pistol would be subject to this invasive investigation.

Now, for those of you sitting there saying, "That's fine, I don't use social media and I use Duck Duck Go or StartPage" this is great – for now.

How long do you think it would be before other outlets like blogs where you comment or these different search engines are added to the list of things that are searched? Trust me, if it gets passed, this is a greasy slide straight to the bad place.

What will the police be looking for?

According to a write-up on the Democrat and Chronicle, a daily newspaper in Rochester, NY:

Police would be required to look for evidence the applicant searched for or used racist or discriminatory language, threatened the safety of another person, inquired about or alluded to an act of terrorism, and, finally, "any other issue deemed necessary by the investigating officer." (source)