The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will soon decide if immigrants are able to enter the United States based on information in their social media accounts.
This will include any person who was not born in the U.S., green card holders or those who became citizens through naturalization.
According to the Federal Register website, the update expands βthe categories of records to include the following: country of nationality; country of residence; the USCIS Online Account Number; social media handles, aliases, associated identifiable information, and search results.β
The new measure will start on Oct. 18, 2017, and it might not only affect the person being investigated but any of their contacts.
DHS explained that this is not something new but an expansion to the pilot program that started in February to monitor social media accounts, according to a statement received by the technology company CNET.
Some activists and organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), have expressed disappointment over the policy stating that it violates the immigrantsβ freedom of speech protected by the Constitution.