US Visa Applicants now Required to Make Social Media Accounts Public

Applicants who seek to get a US visa from now onward will be required to provide a comprehensive list of their social media usernames or handles used over the past 5 years, as part of an enhanced security screening measure introduced by the US department of state.  

Earlier in 2019, US mandated visa applicants to share their social media handles, however, it was not specified if the profiles should be kept private or public. The new requirement however outlines that the accounts shared should be kept public.  

The requirement which is the part of the DS-160 non-immigrant form’s application process applies to all the applicants and covers both the active and inactive accounts across the major social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.  

The applicants will only have to share their social media handles and do not require to share the passwords to their accounts. The US authorities have outlined that the applicants must share the details of all the accounts, even those with nicknames or false names, while outlining that the misrepresentation of these may result in visa denial or a permanent ban.  

“Applicants certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before they sign and submit. Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas,” the authorities wrote in a social media post.  

This new rule will be applicable to all those applying for a visa in F, M, or J non-immigrant visa category.  

Privacy Concerns and Global Reactions 

Following the announcement by the US authorities regarding this new development, social media has gone into a frenzy with locals rigorously citing their concerns.  

A user named Gerry Ryan wrote, “So much for privacy and free speech. Just a few months ago, they were gaslighting the EU about respecting free speech rights, now students have to publicly expose their social media? This is authoritarian surveillance, plain and simple. A visa may be a privilege, but coercing young people into handing over years of personal online activity is not security, it's control like it's some kind of loyalty test and a blatant abuse of power.” 

Another user wrote, “As an American, I am deeply disturbed and so sorry for the behavior of my country. I am encouraging my daughter to look at colleges in Ireland.” 

“We are NOT interested to apply US Visa....Its already 2025 Asia, Europe, Canada, South America and Australia are great destination depends on your purpose,” wrote Joe A Romeo on Facebook.