US expands mandatory social media vetting to journalists
Federal authorities in Washington are requiring additional categories of foreign visitors to unseal their digital profiles for security reviews.
An internal document obtained by news outlet The Daily Signal confirms that media professionals, USMCA business travellers from Canada and Mexico and their accompanying relatives must now grant inspectors full access to their accounts. Under the new directive, candidates seeking these entry permits are required to switch their social media settings to open or public prior to evaluation.
State Department officials reiterated that granting entry remains a discretionary privilege rather than an entitlement, adding that every visa determination functions as a national security safeguard. The review process uses available public data to identify potential safety risks and confirm that applicants genuinely intend to abide by their stay conditions.
Systematic expansion of digital checks
The move represents the latest phase in a progressive tightening of US border security protocols. Officials previously mandated public profile settings for international students last June, mirroring rules already applied to diplomats, temporary workers, exchange participants, religious figures and crime witnesses.
This latest policy follows a similar crackdown in March that broadened digital screening across a wider spectrum of nonimmigrant permits, including K, R, Q, S, T and U visas. That earlier expansion also brought domestic workers and additional diplomatic personnel under mandatory social media scrutiny.
