US mulls plan to screen social media posts of visa applicants—report

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Brace yourselves: getting a United States (US) visa is about to get more difficult.

The US government is reportedly considering a plan to screen the social media activities of some persons as part of its visa application process, according to Wall Street Journal report published last Dec. 15 said.

READ: US administration backs bill tightening visa-free travel

Citing a source, the report said that the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is set to implement a change in its protocols which reverses the current practice of the DHS to look at social media postings of some applicants intermittently.

The source said that the new policy was hatched following the Dec. 2 shooting rampage by husband-and-wife tandem Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik in San Bernardino, California which claimed the lives of 14 people.

READ: At least 14 dead in shooting at California disabled center

Details of the pilot programs of the DHS are tightly kept to prevent possible threats.

The source in the Wall Street Journal report revealed that not all social media posts will be examined.

The investigation on the San Bernardino shooting has included the social media activities of Farook and Malik, hoping that they would get clues on why they mounted the attack and to look if they have made pronouncements supporting terrorist groups in the past in their social media accounts.

Early reports revealed that 29-year-old Malik has pledged allegiance to a leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria on Facebook on the day she and her husband went to carry out the deadly attack. AJH/RAM