In my previous life as a visa officer, we were permitted to screen social media postings for visa applicants beginning in 2014. Looking back, I regret the ease with which I used this policy to search individuals’ social media accounts. In fact, many members of Congress wanted even more invasive social media checks in the wake of the 2015 San Bernardino, Calif., shootings. But when the Obama administration implemented policies calling for additional social media checks and imposing further administrative obstacles on visa applicants, the public reaction was not nearly so extreme. Last September, The Post reported that the Trump administration had suddenly started denying U.S. passports to those born through midwives on the Mexican border.

Source: Washington Post June 10, 2019 20:21 UTC