DHS Rejected 2011 Proposal To Monitor Social Media Of Visa Applicants

A 2011 Department of Homeland Security memo released on Thursday revealed that the Obama Administration rejected a proposal to investigate social media profiles of visa applicants.

The memo states that publicly-viewable social media profiles are a potentially useful avenue of investigation to verify claims made by visa applicants. Officer of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are advised to review social media accounts to combat “fraud,” “criminal activity,” and “national security concerns.”