Harvard International Student With a Private Instagram? You Might Not Get a Visa.
Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered U.S. consulate and embassy officials to scour the social media accounts of international students hoping to attend Harvard. The plan, according to a copy of a diplomatic cable obtained by Politico “will also serve as a pilot for expanded screening and vetting of visa applicants” and “will be expanded over time.”
While Rubio has already started an effort to analyze prospective international students’ social media habits—last week, he directed officials to shut down the processing of student visas so a social media plan could be enacted—the details of this specific plan are particularly invasive. Most troubling, if a student’s account is private, or if they don’t have one, it could cost them the ability to secure a visa.
“The lack of any online presence, or having social media accounts restricted to ‘private’ or with limited visibility, may be reflective of evasiveness and call into question the applicant’s credibility,” read
Article from Reason.com
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