Nearly all applicants for US visas will have to submit their social media details under new rules by the State Department. The State Department regulations say people will have to submit social media names and five years’ worth of email addresses and phone numbers.
US visa applicants to be asked to furnish 5-yr social media history
During the proposal last year, the authorities estimated that the proposal would affect 14.7 million people annually. Certain diplomatic and official visa applicants will be exempted from the stringent new measures. However, people who travel to the US for work and study will have to provide their details.
The department said, “We are constantly working to find mechanisms to improve our screening processes to protect US citizens while supporting legitimate travel to the United States.”
Previously, only the applicants who are associated with the parts of the world controlled by the various terrorists’ groups will require to hand over their information. However, the new rules would require all the US visa applicants to submit their social media details.
The US-based news agency Associated Press quoted the US State Department as saying “National security is our top priority when adjudicating visa applications, and every prospective traveller and immigrant to the United States undergoes extensive security screening. 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.”
According to an official, anyone who lies about their social media use could face “serious immigration consequences”. The Trump administration first proposed the rules in March 2018.
At the time, the American Civil Liberties Union – a civil rights group – said, “There is no evidence that such social media monitoring is effective or fair and it would cause people to self-censor themselves online.”
US President Donald Trump made cracking down on immigration a key plank of his election campaign in 2016. He called for “extreme vetting” of immigrants before and during his time in office. On Friday Trump vowed to impose gradually rising tariffs on Mexico unless the country curbed illegal immigration at the US southern border.
