Trump administration rolls out social media vetting of visa applicants

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Visa applicants who the US State Department suspects may pose a danger if allowed into the country will be required to provide their social media handles on a new application (PDF) the government just unveiled.

The new vetting, the State Department said, would likely ensnare about 0.5 percent of visa applicants annually-the equivalent of roughly 65,000 people. The screening would apply to visa applicants "who have been determined to warrant additional scrutiny in connection with terrorism or other national security-related visa ineligibilities," according to a notice in the Federal Register by the State Department.

In all, applicants that the government deems suspicious would be required to disclose (PDF) their previous passport numbers, five years of social media handles, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses. The plan also calls for US-bound travelers to supply 15 years of biographical data.

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