The U.S. embassy in Monrovia says the social media accounts of all applicants will be screened and approved before their travel.
Summary:
- U.S. Embassy in Monrovia orders visa applicants to make their social media profiles public for screenings and approvals before travel
- The move is part of a broader national security policy announced last week by the Trump administration
- A Liberian social media analyst advises compatriots to adjust their settings and “avoid people that tag you in controversial or inappropriate content”
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives
The U.S. embassy in Monrovia has “requested” all visa applicants from Liberia to change their social media settings from private to “public to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States under U.S. law.” The measure is part of a sweeping new policy introduced last week by the Trump administration to tighten “screening and vetting for visa applicants.”
The embassy said measure applied to “all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa.” F visas are academic students. M visas are for vocational students, while I visas are for cultural and educational exchange purposes. The Trump administration says the policy is intended to prevent hostile foreign actors from entering the country.
Although the Trump administration announced the broader policy last week, the embassy publicly referenced it only on Tuesday.
The order has prompted concern among Liberians. Although Liberians subscribe to social media platforms, Facebook is the most dominant and popular with them. Ruth Gbatoe, social media analyst, said it was important for people to be cautious about what they post or consume on social media.
“You can adjust your settings to avoid people that tag you in controversial or inappropriate content,” Gbatoe said in WhatsApp messages to FrontPage Africa/New Narratives. “I recommend Liberians switch to Professional Mode on Facebook. It helps control visibility and optimizes profiles for professional branding.It is important to note that inconsistencies of online behavior could raise several red flags.”
In January, Facebook stopped fact checking and taking down inappropriate posts by its users. A new policy only reduces the spared of false comments, an issue critics say does not fully safeguard against falsehoods. Liberia does not have a data protection law to safeguard the use of personal information. But the new U.S. visa policy also applies to Liberian officials, as well as ordinary citizens. The Joseph Boakai-led government has been enforcing the country’s code of conduct law, which guides the conducts of public officials. The Office of the Ombudsman of Liberia has already taken actions against a number of them for inappropriate comments. One of them is Anthony Kelley, the deputy minister at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, have who was earlier this year fined $US2,000 over his comment against a Liberian citizen.
Findley Karnga, a Liberian lawyer and head of the Office, said although they had no “authority to comment on a foreign government’s policy” it was important for “all employees of the government, and citizens of the country” to “at all times exercise proper demeanor, that will promote the government’s policy.”
“Our policy is that every individual, whilst they have their right to privacy, they also have the right to say things befitting for third parties or for themselves at all times,” said Karnga in a FrontPage Africa/New Narratives interview by phone. “All your statements that include photos of yours or statements that you make should be in line with the government of Liberia’s policy.”
Findley Karnga is the head of the Office of the Ombudsman of Liberia. Credit: Executive Mansion.
This story is a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the West Africa Justice Reporting Project. Funding was provided by the Swedish embassy in Liberia. The donor had no say in the story’s content.
