US Must Have Access to Social Media Records of Foreigners Seeking US Entry

US Congressman Stephen Lynch said that vetting both public and private social media postings of US entrants is "entirely reasonable."

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US authorities need to begin screening both the public and private social media activity of individuals seeking entry to the United States from troubled regions of the world, US Congressmen stated in a Thursday House hearing on travel screening for terrorists.

"The Islamic State is using social media as the main recruiting tool…and yet, when we look at what the Department of Homeland Security is doing, we don’t have a regular widespread requirement that our people review the social media of people coming from troubled areas where they have got a lot of terrorists," Congressman Stephen Lynch said.

Lynch argued that vetting both public and private social media postings of US entrants is "entirely reasonable."

During the hearing, Congressman Ted Lieu stated that "it needs to be policy of our government to look at social media and other…information of people seeking entry into the United States."

On December 2, a US citizen and foreigner on a fiancee visa carried out a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California killing 14 people. On Wednesday, FBI Director James Comey said the shooters discussed jihad in private conversations in social media.