International students who want to study in the United States are going to great lengths to clean up their online presence because they are deeply worried about new visa review rules under the Trump administration. This widespread effort to remove traces of their digital activity includes unfollowing public figures and politicians, asking friends to stop sending them news links, and carefully checking their online history for anything, no matter how small, that might relate to controversial political topics.
According to Washington Post, the reason for this extreme self-censorship is a strong fear that even a harmless social media action, like liking a post or sharing a funny picture, could be misunderstood and put their years of academic work and dreams at risk. The State Department recently said it is expanding its screening process, now requiring visa applicants to make their social media accounts public.
