Immigration officials prohibited from looking at visa applicants' social media postings

The Hill reports:

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson decided against ending a secret U.S. policy that prohibits immigration officials from reviewing social media posts of foreigners applying for U.S. visas, according to a report by ABC News.


Johnson decided to keep the prohibition in place in early 2014 because he feared a civil liberties backlash and “bad public relations,” according to ABC.

“During that time period immigration officials were not allowed to use or review social media as part of the screening process,” John Cohen, a former acting under-secretary at DHS for intelligence and analysis, told ABC News.

One current and one former senior counter-terrorism official confirmed Cohen’s account to ABC.

What Barack Obama will do to make Muslims look good.