{
  "id": 239126,
  "title": "US govt to expand vetting of social media for visa applicants",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/us-govt-to-expand-vetting-of-social-media-for-visa-applicants",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-06T22:01:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/08/07/us-govt-to-expand-vetting-of-social-media-for-visa-applicants"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United States government is reportedly preparing to broaden the scrutiny of social media profiles for visa applicants, encompassing foreign journalists as well, in alignment with President Donald Trump's intensified immigration measures. The State Department is reportedly planning to implement this expanded vetting process, as disclosed by a memo obtained by the Daily Signal. According to the memo, applicants would be mandated to adjust their social media settings to either \"public\" or \"open\". Upon inquiry, a spokesperson for the State Department affirmed that the department is persistently reviewing and refining its screening and vetting protocols globally to uphold the utmost standards of US national security and public safety, emphasizing that the online presence vetting process evaluates applicants' eligibility under US law and ensures they do not pose a risk to the country's safety and security. Currently, the US necessitates that applicants for various visa categories, including student visas, render their social media accounts accessible. The Daily Signal further reported that the new policy would subsequently extend to foreign media representatives and certain nationals from Mexico and Canada. The administration of President Trump, which has been in power since last year, has undertaken initiatives to repatriate millions of undocumented migrants and imposed limitations on the entry of citizens from several nations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a previous statement, had asserted that \"a visa is a privilege, not a right\". Recently, the Trump administration finalized regulations imposing tighter constraints on the duration foreign students and journalists can stay in the US. As per the modifications, which could potentially take effect from September, foreign students would be permitted to enter the US for the duration of their academic program, capped at four years, while foreign journalists would be restricted to stays of approximately eight months, with the possibility of applying for extensions of a similar duration.",
  "summary": "The state department is expanding its social media vetting, requiring more visa applicants to set their social media accounts to 'public' or 'open'.",
  "key_points": [
    "US government to expand social media scrutiny for visa applicants.",
    "Applicants must set social media to \"public\" or \"open\".",
    "Policy extends to foreign journalists and some Mexican/Canadian nationals."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}