Foreign students in US must keep social media profiles public for duration of visa, says US Embassy
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New Delhi: All international students seeking to study in the United States must keep their social media profiles public not just while applying for a visa but also during their entire study course, The Indian Express reported on Sunday.
“All student and exchange visitor visa applicants (F, M and J visa classes) are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of personal social media profiles to ‘public’ in order to facilitate vetting necessary to establish the applicant’s admissibility to the United States,” the newspaper quoted a US Embassy spokesperson in New Delhi as saying.
The spokesperson mentioned that the vetting process goes on from the time of the application, through the adjudication of the visa and during the validity of the visa.
The U.S. Department of State had stated that, under newly established norms for handling student visa applications, the government will carry out a “comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence,” of all student and exchange visitor applicants.
Under the new norms, consular officers have been instructed to scrutinise visa applications to identify individuals who may “bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles,” according to a report by Reuters.
An internal State Department cable, reviewed by the news agency, emphasised that the vetting process should go beyond just social media activity. Officers are asked to examine the applicant’s entire online presence using “appropriate search engines or other online resources."
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Minor girl kidnapped and raped; main accused and two cafe owners held
Latur (PTI): A minor girl was allegedly kidnapped and raped by an 18-year-old man in Latur, leading to the arrest of the main accused and owners of two cafes where the crime occurred on December 4, police said on Saturday.
Police traced the girl within hours of registering the complaint. The accused, identified as Rihan Gulab Shaikh, was arrested based on the girl's complaint. Two others are owners of two cafes where the crime occurred, police said.
Police registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), POCSO Act, and the Prevention of Atrocities Act, an official said.
