DHS secretly prohibited social media search as part of foreigner vetting process that may have identified Islamic terrorist. Does it matter?

2015-12-14T17:00:50-05:00

Fearing a civil liberties backlash and "bad public relations" for the Obama administration, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson refused in early 2014 to end a secret U.S. policy that prohibited immigration officials from reviewing the social media messages of all foreign citizens applying for U.S. visas, a former senior department official said. "During that time period immigration officials were not allowed to use or review social media as part of the screening process," John Cohen, a former acting under-secretary at DHS for intelligence and analysis. Cohen is now a national security consultant for ABC News. One current and one former senior counter-terrorism official confirmed Cohen's account about the refusal of DHS to change its policy about the public social media posts of all foreign applicants.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/secret-us-policy-blocks-agents-social-media-visa/story?id=35749325

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2015 5:03 PM

2015-12-14T17:03:34-05:00

Maybe, just maybe, FB will be in-bounds after this.

Response by SSgt Rilene Ann made Dec 14 at 2015 6:02 PM

2015-12-14T18:02:51-05:00

most perspective employers do

Response by SGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT made Dec 14 at 2015 6:40 PM

2015-12-14T18:40:13-05:00

It is total wrong not to properly vett visitors to the US especially those wanting to stay.
I think that every effort must be made and in today's world social media is omnipresent.
We think nothing of goggling a person we are curious about why not Foriegn visa requests

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2015 7:19 PM

2015-12-14T19:19:03-05:00

CPO Andy Carrillo, MS This is unreal....If it is on the web, it should be able to be used for anything. It's social media.....I think there is a distinct difference between this and say someone's phone or text messages!

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Dec 14 at 2015 9:47 PM

2015-12-14T21:47:59-05:00

Granting civil rights to the terrorists will be the death of us all.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2015 10:06 PM

2015-12-14T22:06:51-05:00

they clearly do not have Americas best interest in mind making that rule.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2015 10:41 PM

2015-12-14T22:41:52-05:00

I read that they missed it because of her privacy settings. The settings were such that only a small group of friends were able to read her posts. Who knew the FB settings really work?

Response by Capt Jeff S. made Dec 14 at 2015 10:44 PM

2015-12-14T22:44:45-05:00

We are idiots for not using every means available for trying to determine whether the people applying for VISA's are National Security risks.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 15 at 2015 1:22 AM

2015-12-15T01:22:02-05:00

I read that the privacy settings on FB disallowed anyone except those in a small selected group to view any of the messages she posted and this is the reason her posts were not picked up. Who knew? Those FB controls actually work? There's a bit of sarcasm in there Hunter. ;-)

Response by PO1 John Miller made Dec 15 at 2015 1:22 AM

2015-12-15T01:22:37-05:00

We have to catch the terrorists, but we can't offend them by spying on their Facebook pages. Didn't you get that memo? SMDH...

Response by SSG Michael Hartsfield made Dec 15 at 2015 5:06 AM

2015-12-15T05:06:08-05:00

Wasn't the reason they couldn't see what she was doing because she was PMing her sister?

Response by SGM Mikel Dawson made Dec 15 at 2015 12:42 PM

2015-12-15T12:42:37-05:00

The director of the HLS is a putts, a blonde one at that!