Abstract:
- U.S. Embassy in Monrovia orders visa candidates to make their social media profiles public for screenings and approvals earlier than journey
- The transfer is a part of a broader nationwide safety coverage introduced final week by the Trump administration
- A Liberian social media analyst advises compatriots to regulate their settings and “keep away from those who tag you in controversial or inappropriate content material”
By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives
The U.S. embassy in Monrovia has “requested” all visa candidates from Liberia to vary their social media settings from non-public to “public to facilitate vetting essential to determine their identification and admissibility to the US beneath U.S. regulation.” The measure is a part of a sweeping new coverage launched final week by the Trump administration to tighten “screening and vetting for visa applicants.”
The embassy stated measure utilized to “all people making use of for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa.” F visas are educational college students. M visas are for vocational college students, whereas I visas are for cultural and academic trade functions. The Trump administration says the coverage is meant to prevent hostile foreign actors from entering the country.
Though the Trump administration introduced the broader coverage final week, the embassy publicly referenced it solely on Tuesday.
The order has prompted concern amongst Liberians. Though Liberians subscribe to social media platforms, Fb is essentially the most dominant and standard with them. Ruth Gbatoe, social media analyst, stated it was vital for individuals to be cautious about what they publish or devour on social media.
“You possibly can alter your settings to keep away from those who tag you in controversial or inappropriate content material,” Gbatoe stated in WhatsApp messages to FrontPage Africa/New Narratives. “I like to recommend Liberians swap to Skilled Mode on Fb. It helps management visibility and optimizes profiles for skilled branding.It is very important notice that inconsistencies of on-line conduct might elevate a number of pink flags.”
In January, Fb stopped truth checking and taking down inappropriate posts by its customers. A brand new coverage solely reduces the spared of false feedback, a difficulty critics say doesn’t absolutely safeguard in opposition to falsehoods. Liberia doesn’t have an information safety regulation to safeguard the usage of private info. However the brand new U.S. visa coverage additionally applies to Liberian officers, in addition to abnormal residents. The Joseph Boakai-led authorities has been implementing the nation’s code of conduct regulation, which guides the conducts of public officers. The Workplace of the Ombudsman of Liberia has already taken actions in opposition to a variety of them for inappropriate feedback. Considered one of them is Anthony Kelley, the deputy minister on the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, have who was earlier this 12 months fined $US2,000 over his remark in opposition to a Liberian citizen.
Findley Karnga, a Liberian lawyer and head of the Workplace, stated though that they had no “authority to touch upon a international authorities’s coverage” it was vital for “all workers of the federal government, and residents of the nation” to “always train correct demeanor, that may promote the federal government’s coverage.”
“Our coverage is that each particular person, while they’ve their proper to privateness, additionally they have the precise to say issues befitting for third events or for themselves always,” stated Karnga in a FrontPage Africa/New Narratives interview by telephone. “All of your statements that embody pictures of yours or statements that you simply make needs to be consistent with the federal government of Liberia’s coverage.”
This story is a collaboration with New Narratives as a part of the West Africa Justice Reporting Mission. Funding was offered by the Swedish embassy in Liberia. The donor had no say within the story’s content material.
