Homeland Security wants to use Facebook in visa reviews

The Department of Homeland Security is working on a new plan for incorporating social media posts into visa reviews, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The details of the new plan are unclear, but the Journal describes it as part of a new focus on social media for the department, which has traditionally focused on legal records in the visa application process.

It’s also a response to a tragic shooting that killed 14 earlier this month in San Bernardino. One of the attackers entered the country on a visa and underwent three separate background checks without triggering a warning, despite previous social media posts that had openly supported violent jihad. That news has sparked a call for revised visa practices, particularly surrounding social media. In a speech following the attack, President Obama urged “high-tech and law enforcement leaders to make it harder for terrorists to use technology to escape from justice.”