Grateful to be back home in the United States and on the job after a visa security clearance ordeal which left him and his family in limbo overseas for five-plus months, Ahmet Ahmet, a creative director with bicoastal Imaginary Forces, is still seeking a personal sense of closure to the situation. But such a resolution may never be attained or at the very least seems like it will be a long time coming.
As earlier reported (SHOOT, 1/26), Ahmet–along with his wife and daughter–went to London last August to visit his seriously ill mother (who has since passed away) for what was to have been a two-week stay. But when he went to the U.S. Embassy to get his visa approved for a return to Southern California, Ahmet was informed he needed a security clearance.
Obtaining that clearance became a personal and professional nightmare for Ahmet. If not for the support of Imaginary Forces, which paid his salary as well as his family’s housing costs in the U.K. during a protracted period, Ahmet said he would have most likely had to seek employment in Europe and abandon his stateside life and career.
Meanwhile Imaginary Forces had to turn away business with Ahmet overseas in that he is a key creative contributor to the firm.
In the U.K. Ahmet had to deal with a dying mother, he and his wife having to home school their daughter who could not return to her middle school in Los Angeles and the compromising of his reputation by an ongoing investigation. To this day, he cannot get an answer as to why he and his family were detained. He had no opportunity to answer any investigative charge, question or concern, adding to his feeling of helplessness over the situation. Even the public officials who intervened on his behalf–Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice, Calif.) and U.K. Parliament member Kate Hoey of the British Labor Party–weren’t able to ascertain what the problem was that prevented Ahmet and his family from returning stateside. The only vague explanation offered is that his surname matches those of individuals who are ineligible to enter the United States. However the name Ahmet is fairly common internationally.
Additionally heading into his family trip in summer of ’06, Ahmet thought he would be able to return to the United States in a timely manner based on his experience visiting London in ’04; at that time he was subject to a security clearance that took four months to get. He had reasoned that this time around there would not be an inordinate waiting period since he had a record of having successfully attained a security clearance.
Ahmet’s case raises questions about equitably maintaining the delicate balance of civil liberties and national security. As a law abiding person and an established professional, Ahmet said he had a clear right to come back to the United States and resume his livelihood in a timely manner.
Some six years ago Ahmet was granted a visa to come stateside and work at Imaginary Forces based on his being a talent of extraordinary ability, with credentials that included recognition of this artistry from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. His special ‘O1 visa to work in the United States has since been renewed multiple times, the latest covering this calendar year. At Imaginary Forces he has distinguished himself in features (designing the trailer for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the titles for Spider-Man) and advertising (spots for Ford, Honda and Budweiser).
Now back at Imaginary Forces, Ahmet is at work on a couple of features. “It’s great to return to a busy building,” he said. “One view is that I’m back, fine and it’s over. But I still have to live with the experience–and it could happen again. You ask me what is it like now that the experience is in my rear-view mirror. Well the truth is that it still is close and on my tail even from that perspective. I don’t know why we were put through this. The authorities asked no questions of me or of Imaginary Forces. I have no idea what the nature of the investigation was and have had no opportunity to answer in my or my family’s defense. In light of that, living in this country and operating within the company with some kind of peace of mind is difficult.”
Supreme Court Allows Multibillion-Dollar Class Action Lawsuit To Proceed Against Meta
The Supreme Court is allowing a multibillion-dollar class action investors' lawsuit to proceed against Facebook parent Meta, stemming from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm.
The justices heard arguments in November in Meta's bid to shut down the lawsuit. On Friday, they decided that they were wrong to take up the case in the first place.
The high court dismissed the company's appeal, leaving in place an appellate ruling allowing the case to go forward.
Investors allege that Meta did not fully disclose the risks that Facebook users' personal information would be misused by Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump 's first successful Republican presidential campaign in 2016.
Inadequacy of the disclosures led to two significant price drops in the price of the company's shares in 2018, after the public learned about the extent of the privacy scandal, the investors say.
Meta spokesman Andy Stone said the company was disappointed by the court's action. "The plaintiff's claims are baseless and we will continue to defend ourselves as this case is considered by the District Court," Stone said in an emailed statement.
Meta already has paid a $5.1 billion fine and reached a $725 million privacy settlement with users.
Cambridge Analytica had ties to Trump political strategist Steve Bannon. It had paid a Facebook app developer for access to the personal information of about 87 million Facebook users. That data was then used to target U.S. voters during the 2016 campaign.
The lawsuit is one of two high court cases involving class-action lawsuits against tech companies. The justices also are wrestling with whether to shut down a class action against Nvidia.... Read More