It is not just a rumour that the United States denies some visa applicants based on their social media posts. Several reports online have confirmed that this is true. The climate these days requires social media users to be very careful about expression. This is why a new Harvard student, Ismail Ajjawi, has been deported by the US officials based on posts by his online friends.

The things people post online have been reasons why some have lost jobs, admissions, and many other important things. Your social media posts are super important, and they can be the reason for your unemployment. Now that this has been established, the problem has now gone beyond you. Your friends may also be the cause of your misfortune.

Just like the popular phrase, “show me your friend and I will tell you who you are,” Ismail Ajjawi said he avoided making comments about politics on his social media. However, some of his contacts reportedly expressed “points of view that oppose the US.”

Access denied!

The Customs and Border Protection in the US cancelled Ajjawi’s visa immediately because of these posts. This was done while he was still being questioned in the American airport. The fact that he did not interact with those posts did not actually matter.

According to Ajjawi, the officer asked him to unlock his laptop and phones so he could search them. The officer reportedly left with his gadgets for hours before coming to ask questions about his social media friends.

Ajjawi has said he is getting a lawyer to appeal the case. He hopes he will be able to get a reversal of the visa decision. Arab and Muslim students in America have constantly lamented of a more thorough level of scrutiny with their devices. They say there have been situations where other people’s content had landed them in trouble.