Applicants applying for the US visas will now be required to produce names of the their social media accounts as well as five years worth of email address before being issued with the visa/
“We are constantly working to find mechanisms to improve our screening processes to protect US citizens, while supporting legitimate travel to the United States,” the department reportedly said.
“People will now have to wonder if what they say online will be misconstrued or misunderstood by a government official, “There is also no evidence that such social media monitoring is effective or fair, especially in the absence of criteria to guide the use of social media information in the visa adjudication process.” Hina Shamsi, director of the organization’s National Security Project, said
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“Social media can be a major forum for terrorist sentiment and activity,” “This will be a vital tool to screen out terrorists, public safety threats, and other dangerous individuals from gaining immigration benefits and setting foot on US soil.” an official added
Previously only applicants that required additional vetting would be required to provide the same information but in the new directive this will be required for all applicants.
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