Free Speech and Social Media

An internal State Department memo dated Dec. 2 instructs consular officers to “thoroughly explore” applicants’ work histories (resumes, LinkedIn, media) and to deny H‑1B visas — and is reported to apply across visa categories with special scrutiny of H‑1Bs — if there is evidence they were responsible for or complicit in “censorship” of protected U.S. speech, including roles such as fact‑checking, content moderation, trust & safety, compliance or combating misinformation, and to consider participation by family members traveling with applicants. The department declined to comment on the reportedly leaked memo but defended the policy’s goal of protecting Americans’ free expression, framing the guidance as implementing a May policy announced by Secretary Marco Rubio amid a broader administration push against perceived foreign censorship.