Overview
- An internal State Department memo obtained Thursday by multiple outlets says the department is extending 'online presence' checks to foreign media representatives and certain Canadian and Mexican business visitors and their dependents.
- The memo instructs applicants to make private social‑media accounts public for screening as part of visa adjudications that use all available information to assess admissibility.
- When asked about the memo the department declined to confirm specifics but said it is screening applicants to ensure compliance with U.S. law and to protect national security.
- The move builds on administration steps since January 2025 that already applied social‑media reviews to diplomats, students and other visa classes and that in some cases led to visa revocations.
- Civil‑liberties groups and journalists warn the expansion could chill reporting and cross‑border business travel and raise questions about how accounts will be reviewed, how appeals will work, and when the policy takes effect.