The US government will now be rejecting H-1B visa applications from people who have worked in fact-checking, content moderation, and online safety areas; areas considered essential in an era of disinformation and misinformation online.
Reuters reported on Thursday that an internal memo from the US State Department to US missions globally ordered consular officers to consider rejecting applicants who have done anything relating to the “censorship” of free speech in the US.
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This includes people who have worked in fact-checking, content moderation, compliance, and online safety, or areas relating to misinformation and disinformation.
The 2 December memo also ordered consular officers to examine the LinkedIn profiles and resumes of H-1B visa applicants, as well as those of family members travelling with them, to confirm whether they have worked in the areas.
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“If you uncover evidence an applicant was responsible for, or complicit in, censorship or attempted censorship of protected expression in the United States, you should pursue a finding that the applicant is ineligible,” the memo read, according to Reuters.
An H-1B visa is a temporary US work visa that allows employers to hire highly skilled foreign professionals. The visa is usually granted for up to three years and can be extended to six. It is most used in the tech, engineering, healthcare, and research sectors.
This new US policy comes amid a US crackdown on migration and stricter immigration policies, which have intensified since President Donald Trump’s return to office.
In the last 11 months, the administration has reintroduced selected travel bans, reduced eligibility for visa interview waivers, increased visa fees, and expanded social media checks for applicants.
The policy also seeks to enhance vetting for all H-1B visas, although with particular attention to censorship and free speech.
Reuters reported that the new vetting requirements apply to both new applicants and those seeking to renew their visas.
“You must thoroughly explore their employment histories to ensure no participation in such activities,” the memo stated further.
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PREMIUM TIMES reports that after assuming office for his second term, Mr Trump, who had been fact checked several times and found to often make false claims, got social media platforms to de-emphasise fact-checking and content moderation. Facebook, which had supported fact-checkers on its platform to reduce fake news, said it would no longer do so.
A State Department official hinted at the fact-checking of Mr Trump’s past claims as one of the reasons for the decision.
“In the past, the President himself was the victim of this kind of abuse when social media companies locked his accounts. He does not want other Americans to suffer this way. Allowing foreigners to lead this type of censorship would both insult and injure the American people,” the spokesperson told Reuters.
Experts argue that fact-checking and content moderation help to reduce fake news, disinformation, misinformation and digital violence, which have all increased with the rise of social media and artificial intelligence. Critics, however, argue that they stifle free speech.
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