The US government reportedly plans to expand vetting of the social media accounts of visa applicants, including foreign journalists, as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reposted an article on Thursday on X by the Daily Signal that said the State Department is expanding its social media vetting to applicants for more types of visas.
The Daily Signal said it had obtained an internal memo outlining the plan, which would require visa applicants to change the settings on their social media accounts to “public” or “open.”
Asked by AFP about the report, a State Department spokesperson said “the department is constantly reviewing and evaluating screening and vetting procedures worldwide to ensure that our visa process upholds the highest standards for US national security and public safety.”
“Online presence vetting is about applicants demonstrating their eligibility to receive a visa under US law and ensuring that no individual poses a risk to the safety and security of the United States,” the spokesperson said.
