U.S. immigration officials want to check social media accounts of citizenship applicants

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is considering a new rule that would require applicants for citizenship and immigration benefits to submit their social media profiles for verification. It’s part of a strict scrutiny policy promoted by Donald Trump’s administration.

The agency opened a 60-day public comment period on a proposal that would require social media profiles on applications for green cards, naturalization, refugee or asylum status, and for relatives of those who have already been granted asylum. According to USCIS, the new requirement would affect about 3.5 million people.

A similar rule was previously introduced by the State Department: foreigners applying for a U.S. visa are already required to disclose a five-year history of social media activity. However, the change now applies to those who already live in the U.S. and want to change their status, such as citizenship.

Saira Hussain, a senior attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, says the rule creates an “deterrence effect” by making people fear repercussions for speaking out online. “It could affect people who have lived in the U.S. for 30 to 40 years with a green card and are now applying for citizenship. Or people who are here on other visas and want a green card. It’s actually a mechanism to check their online activity, which could affect their immigration status,” she told Newsweek.

USCIS says collecting such data is necessary for “enhanced vetting” of applicants and modernizing the immigration system. The agency said in a statement that analyzing social media will help in identity verification, screening for national security threats and public order.