Under the newly adopted rule, nearly all applicants for United States visas will have to submit their social media details.
According to the State Department regulations, people will have to submit social media names and five years’ worth of email addresses and phone numbers.
Authorities had estimated that the proposal would affect 14.7 million people annually, when proposed last year,
However, certain diplomatic and official visa applicants will be exempted from the new stringent measures.
But people travelling to the US to work or to study will have to hand over their information.
“We are constantly working to find mechanisms to improve our screening processes to protect US citizens, while supporting legitimate travel to the United States,” the department reportedly said.
Previously, according to BBC report, only applicants who needed additional vetting, such as people who had been to parts of the world controlled by terrorist groups, would need to hand over this data.
But now applicants will have to give up their account names on a list of social media platforms, and also volunteer the details of their accounts on any sites not listed.
Anyone who lies about their social media use could face “serious immigration consequences”, according to an official who spoke to The Hill.