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Visa Application Subject To Social Media Screening
Visa applicants to the United States will now be required to submit their social media information and accounts that have been used in the past five years, according to a new State Department policy that started on Friday.
The handing over of social media would give the government access to one’s photos, locations, dates of birth, dates of milestones, and other personal data people usually post on social media.
In a statement, the State Department said: “We already request certain contact information, travel history, family member information, and previous addresses from all visa applicants. We are constantly working to find mechanisms to improve our screening processes to protect U.S. citizens while supporting legitimate travel to the United States.”
Back in September 2017, the Homeland Security Department enacted a measure that called also for the surveillance of social media use of all immigrants, including naturalized citizens. The new regulation has garnered mixed reactions as people began seeing it as a psychological barrier to enter the United States.
Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project, called the proposal “dangerous and problematic” as it will do “nothing to protect security concerns” but would instead raise “privacy concerns and First Amendment issues.”
By: Maytinee Kramer
