ABC News: Secret US Policy Blocks Agents From Looking at Social Media of Visa Applicants, Former Official Says
The State Department today said that “obviously things went wrong” in the visa background check for one of the San Bernardino shooters -- comments that came in the wake of an ABC News report that said officials by policy generally do not check social media postings of applicants due to civil liberties concerns and therefore would not have seen purported evidence of Tashfeen Malik’s radicalization online.
“It’s difficult to say exactly what [went wrong] and how, but for an individual to be able to come into this country – one who the FBI has maintained had terrorist tendencies or affiliations or sympathies at least for a couple years, and then to propagate an attack like that on our own soil, obviously, I think it’s safe to say there’s going to be lessons learned here,” State Department spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.
WNU Editor: Facebook, Twitter, other social media platforms .... these are all public platforms (not private). So on the one hand we have U.S. intelligence agencies monitoring and scooping up our private data/communications, but on the other hand we have U.S. authorities prohibiting their agents from checking out the PUBLIC social media postings of those who are not even American citizens but are applying for a visa. And while I understand that they may not have the manpower and resources to screen all applicants .... the problem is that it appears that they are not screening anyone.
More News On A Secret U.S. Policy That Prohibits Immigration Agents From Checking Social Media Posts Of Visa Applicants
Immigration officials prohibited from looking at visa applicants' social media -- The Hill
San Bernardino attacks: Killer's social media 'not checked' -- BBC
Agents reportedly blocked by secret US policy from looking at social media of visa applicants -- FOX News
A secret US policy reportedly prevents officials from looking at the social media of visa applicants -- Business Insider
U.S. Considers More Scrutiny of Visa-Seekers' Social Media Accounts -- NBC
U.S. looks to add social media accounts as part of vetting process for visa applicants -- AP
House GOP Working on Requiring Social Media Vetting of Visa Applicants -- ABC News
Lawmakers push to lift 'absurd' ban on vetting social media for visa seekers -- FOX News
U.S. Working on Plan to Scrutinize Social Media in Visa Reviews -- WSJ
US To Review Visa Applicants' Social Media Posts After San Bernardino Shooter Openly Praised Jihad -- IBTimes
Former DHS Official Says Fear Of Bad Optics Keeps Agency From Reviewing Visa Applicants’ Social Media -- Daily Caller
6 comments:
Hi There,
Have you put any type of pop-up ads on the website? Everytime I come here, there is now an aggressive popup ad that redirects me away from the page. Could be my computer.
Thanks,
-Long time reader
Me too.
Anon, James .... I HATE POP-UP ADS!!!!!
I had the same problem with my computer 2 weeks ago, and I suspect that I got that malware from Drudge Report.
It is a browser problem, and this malware redirects you away from the page that you are visiting. PLus throwing in a few pop-ups.
Apparently this is now a big problem for many websites and computer users.
I solved my problem by using Norton Power Eraser. It is free, and the link for it is here
https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/solutions/kb20100811171926EN_EndUserProfile_en_us
Please tell me if it works and thank-you for giving me a heads up on this problem.
WNU Edtor,
As ususal, Emptywheel's already covered this,
https://www.emptywheel.net/2015/12/15/what-a-social-media-check-for-visas-would-require/
Since 9/11 thousands of absolutely brilliant people, artists, singers, writers, journalists, scientists, etc. have been denied entry to the U.S. because some State Department minion hasn't liked their religion, politics, charities or critiques,
And now they are going to troll everybody else?
That's not going to work out well.
WNU,
It seems to have worked, but I get a strange message about Franzia wine. "Don't knock the box!"
Jay .... I agree with Empty Wheel's analysis that the manpower does not exist to scrutinize millions/billions of social media posts. I felt the same way just two weeks ago when I listening to a Canadian official say that in the vetting process of Syrian refugees to Canada .... their social media posts will be scrutinize. We just do not have enough people to do the job .... let alone have enough people who can speak the language.
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