US orders social media vetting for student visa applicants

The department instructed consular officers screening online accounts to watch for any indications of hostility toward the US.

Foreign nationals applying for student and exchange visitors visas will be asked to set their profiles to public, and the department said failure to do so would raise red flags.

The new policy will help ensure that visitors to the US have been properly evaluated, a senior State Department official said, and that Americans expect such efforts to protect the country.