As the U.S. Department of State began to fully incorporate 'social media (SNS) history' into the review of international student visas, students preparing to study abroad are increasingly deleting or censoring their own SNS activity records. Students appear to be taking heed of the U.S. government’s scrutiny by removing posts that could raise suspicion about their political views, including past 'likes' and follow histories.
According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 9th (local time), the U.S. Department of State recently conveyed new internal guidelines to consulates abroad, allowing foreign nationals applying for visas for academic purposes, job training, and cultural exchange to have their SNS accounts viewed in 'public' status. It has been reported that the guidelines also include instructions to reflect visa issuance reviews if 'hostile expressions' toward the U.S. founding ideals, government, culture, or people are found.
As this fact became known, students preparing to study in the U.S. are voluntarily checking their SNS activity. A graduate school applicant from the Middle East said, 'I have disconnected from all accounts linked to the Palestinian flag emoji and deleted the watermelon emoji (a symbol of support for Palestine) from my profile.' Another applicant mentioned, 'I unfollowed accounts of progressive politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama,' adding, 'I am in the process of deleting every political 'like' from the past.'
The targets for deletion are not limited to political expressions. Posts containing sensitive mentions related to terrorism, armed conflict, and immigration issues, as well as posts on charitable activities or human rights movements, could also be subject to censorship. A South Asian international student lamented, 'I carelessly liked a reel video announcing support for an Afghan orphanage, then immediately unliked it,' explaining, 'U.S. authorities could misunderstand this as a 'potential connection to extremist sects.'
The U.S. Department of State holds the view that every trace left on SNS is a key resource for understanding applicants’ tendencies, ideologies, and loyalty to the U.S. A State Department official noted, 'SNS is a window that shows the applicant's worldview and values,' adding, 'If there are traces related to extremism, anti-American sentiment, or support for illegal immigration, we will judge them strictly during the review process.'
In fact, there are cases where visa issuance has been denied. An international student from Brazil studying in Austria was denied a U.S. exchange visa on the grounds of having no SNS account. The U.S. embassy explained, 'The lack of any online presence failed to prove non-immigrant intent.'
According to WP, it has been reported that the internal guidelines include wording indicating that if an SNS account is private or there are no activity records, it will be viewed as 'hiding something,' which could negatively affect the review.
Some are debating whether it is better to completely delete SNS accounts. In addition to the U.S. social platform Reddit, various online communities around the world are sharing information such as, 'Deleting your account may actually raise suspicion' and 'Instead of deleting political content, let's just keep 'academic interests.'
However, immigration attorney Richard Herman advised, 'Excessive deletion could actually raise suspicion,' suggesting, 'The safest method is to keep only politically neutral activities while minimizing traces of deletion.'
As the demand for SNS cleanup increases, the market for technology startups targeting this need is also gaining attention. Artificial intelligence (AI)-based data organization startups like Phyllo and Redact have recently ramped up marketing aimed at international students with slogans like 'Make sure your U.S. study doesn’t end with one past post.' These companies have drawn attention for launching 'AI censorship tools' that automatically detect and delete political content, extremism, anti-American sentiment, and illegal immigration advocacy history from SNS.
Experts are expressing concerns that this policy could have long-term negative impacts on global academic exchange. Lisa Gonzalez, a professor of immigration law at New York University, pointed out, 'The reality that self-censorship is necessary to study in the U.S. significantly damages America’s moral prestige.'