This archive report was first published on 4 September 2019.
Published on September 4, 2019, a new policy by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has sparked controversy over the agency's decision to create fake social media accounts to monitor foreign nationals seeking visa, green cards, and citizenship.
According to the policy update, the move aims to make it easier for USCIS to search for potential evidence of fraud or security concerns as they process a foreigner's application or determine whether to allow someone into the US.
USCIS claims that it will only use fake accounts to access social media content that is publicly available to all users of the social media platform, and will not 'friend' or 'follow' users. However, the agency's new policy seems to violate Facebook's and Twitter's terms of use, which prohibit the creation of fake accounts.
The move comes after the State Department started requiring applicants for US visas to submit their social media information, including usernames, in June.
