The U.S. government plans to collect social media history from nearly everyone who seeks entry into the United States, State Department proposals showed on Friday as part of President Donald Trump’s policy of “extreme vetting.”

Most immigrant and non-immigrant visa applicants – about 14.7 million people – will be asked to list on a federal application form all of the social media identities that they have used in the past five years – information that will be used to vet and identify them, according to the proposals. Advertising

The proposal, which must be approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), would require most immigrant and non-immigrant visa applicants to list on a federal application form all of the social media identities they have used in the past five years. Most immigrant and non-immigrant visa applicants - about 14.7 million people - will be asked to list on a federal application form all of the social media identities that they have used in the past five years - information that will be used to vet and identify them, according to the proposals. The move follows the administration’s emphasis on “extreme vetting” of would-be immigrants to the US, and is an extension of efforts by the previous administration to more closely scrutinize social media after the San Bernardino terrorist attack. Previously, under rules instituted in May of 2017, consular officials were instructed to collect social media identifiers only when they determined “that such information is required to confirm identity or conduct more rigorous national security vetting,” a State Department official said at the time. In documents to be published in Friday's Federal Register, the department said it wants the public to comment on the proposed new requirements, which will affect nearly 15 million foreigners who apply for visas to enter the US each year. The public can comment on the proposed new requirements and it set off a 60-day period for public comment, which ends on May 29. The State Department filed a proposal which would require most immigrant and non-immigrant visa applicants to list all social media identities they have used in the past five years, as well as previously used telephone numbers, email addresses and their international travel history over the same period. If approved, applicants will also be asked if they have been deported or removed from any country and whether family members have been involved in terrorist activities. The department said it intends not to routinely ask most diplomatic and official visa applicants for the social media information.
The Trump administration through the United States Department of State publishes a 60-day notice of request for public comment, proposing to collect social media identities from nearly everyone who seeks entry into the United States.