Terrible if that is going to happen however the cynic in me would like to know which official website that is taken from or is this another one of those AI generated web page off social media.

Here it is on a government site .. US Embassy in Mali.

https://ml.usembassy.gov/u-s-require...sa-applicants/

So it's one embassy for 3 x types of specific visas. Not exactly a total WTF for other embassies. And why don't posters provide these details so cynics like me might leave a comment.

I also found the same link as you posted. Also from the same link

Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media accounts to ‘public’ to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States under U.S. law.

Pursuant to the Presidential Proclamation on Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats, which takes effect at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on June 9, 2025, the United States is suspending or limiting entry and visa issuance to nationals of certain countries. Applicants who are subject to this Presidential Proclamation may still submit visa applications and attend scheduled interviews, but they may be ineligible for visa issuance or admission to the United States. For additional details, visit travel.state.gov .

Apparently a Norwegian traveler has already been refused entry because they found an unflattering meme about Vance on his SM on his phone, now denied by the border people as he was banned for his admitted drug use, however it has meant that the USA border people has been forced to publish the aforementioned meme of a bald JD Vance, so it's now all over and not just on SM but on their site.
US officials forced to share bald JD Vance meme by denying tourist’s claim he was denied entry over photo

I will grant you that the US agents were over zealous however tell me something new. The US has some what I even consider harsh rules for entering their country. Admitting to smoking Cannabis years ago can get you refused entry and quite a few have fallen at that hurdle.
Canada treats it a little different. Admitting to previously smoking it at College won't get you refused entry but a recent conviction for possession could get you refused.
Also the article is missing the citizenship of this Norwegian Traveller and if we assume he has Norwegian citizenship it is also possible that he has citizenship of another and if only Norwegian citizenship then no visa application submitted by him just the ESTA. There again he could have also travelled to one of those countries mentioned in the Executive Order since 2019.

Now I know most hate dealing with USCBP officers but FFS leave the dogs alone

https://www.newsweek.com/man-deporte...irport-2091429

Of course the traveller was loaded with illegal food items which I suspect he did not or would declare.

Really? I’ve never personally had a problem with any of them .. over many years, had perfectly cordial interactions.

Well it depends on what you believe and hear. I personally have never had a problem with them (never flashed my badge) and worked closely with them in a joint staffed office. I will admit I sometimes took the piss about them banning a traveller for admitting they smoked weed at college 20 years ago.

Now this report is from 2017 so is it still relevant today. Until recently how many articles about their interactions on the Southern Border. All countries Agencies have their good and bad and I suspect many fear or are apprehensive when crossing a border anywhere because of myths etc.

https://www.americanimmigrationcounc...go-unanswered/

Now given the millions of interactions they have daily I have even seen complaints on this site about their behaviour/attitude. Now assuming you are an American citizen your interactions with them will differ than those of people from other countries. My main WTF was the treatment of the USCBP dog by a 70 year old who should know better and was violating the law on entering the US.

A quick Google suggests "F, M, and J visas are types of nonimmigrant visas for individuals seeking to study or participate in exchange visitor programs in the United States. F visas are for academic students, M visas are for vocational or non-academic students, and J visas are for exchange visitors." You say it's only one embassy, but why wouldn't this spread to others?

What's really scary about this is, they say failure to disclose ALL social media details could result in denial of the visa. I don't even know the details of all the SM accounts I've created over the years; I set up a few Twatter accounts way back, which I no longer log into. I have a Farcebook account I use maybe once a year and always have to look up login details. I participate in dozens of 'tech related' forums (structured just like BE, but for specific products or services). Would BE count as a 'Social Media' site? What about Reddit? Or are they just focusing on 'X', 'Facebook', 'Truth Social', 'Telegram' etc? In other words - what is the definition of a Social Media site, I wonder ...

I am not saying I agree with what the US are doing and this type of visa issuance is aimed directly at the 19 countries mentioned in the Executive Order.

It is obvious that it is aimed at specific countries who the Administration feel are a higher risk than other countries but they don’t actually say that.

The little I know about US Immigration Law sometimes does not always make sense to me when I compared it to Canadian Immigration Law or the UK etc. I disagreed with the banning or refusing people entry including Canadians who admitted to smoking weed but had no criminal convictions.

Those with criminal convictions are usually made to apply for waivers much like a lot of countries do. As a non US citizen or permanent resident of the US it is a privilege to be allowed entry into the US not a right as some seem to think.

Countries set the laws I don’t and we can agree or disagree about them and if that bad they can be changed amended and repealed etc.

F, M, and J affect a huge number of people. Students (academic and vocational) and exchange visitors (academic, medical, cultural, etc.) This is a direct attack on US universities; they aren’t targeting other countries. The same message about adjusting privacy settings is now appearing on the Australian consulate page: https://au.usembassy.gov/visas/

You can read more here: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...visa-screening

Setting social media to “public” opens you up to a lot more than just enhanced vetting. This is a crude move designed to do harm.

Setting social media to 'public' is utterly crazy and no one should be asked to do that. It opens you to all manner of problems, not least of which, identity theft/etc. Also, thieves will know about your movements and could rob your home, etc.

I personally don't post at all on things like Facebook, even with a very limited 'friend' base (my last post was in 2016!) but I know a lot of people post their everyday movements, and pictures of their kids, etc. I suspect it will put a lot of applicants off applying, and will have a huge impact on US colleges - which I suspect is the intent.

But I'm really curious to know what constitutes 'Social Media', as I mentioned above. Is it just Facebook/Twitter, or could it include Reddit? BE? I am a participant in specialized forums on cars, storage devices, travel, laptops, image editing software, cameras, etc. But - as with BE - forums don't just stay 'on topic' and most forums have the equivalent of 'TIO' where general discussions are encouraged.

You raise a good question what is social media. You can do your usual Google searches or whatever search engine you use and you will see a myriad of articles giving you answers but is it down to an interpretation and is there an actual legal definition?

Here is an example of a definition

Social media refers to online platforms where users can share information and connect with virtual communities through text, video, photos, and other content. As of 2024, social media had more than five billion global users, which is equal to more than 62% of the world population.

This includes apps or websites designed for messaging and chat, social platforms (like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok), and community forums, such as Reddit and Discord.

So yes it is a bit of a mess but I suspect in the cases of where USCBP officers are going through a search of a phone they are looking for what they consider the main ones. I know if they went through my iPad as I don't carry a smart phone I would be telling them that BE is a website where people who were born in the UK or have returned to live basically talk about all things British. I certainly would not refer them to the TIO threads

There again what do I know.

There are a few angles to this. You mention border agents, and there have been several discussions in the media about border officials demanding access to people's phones. So to address that, you could simply travel with a 'burner' phone (as recommended by several people), or remove any 'social media' apps from your phone before traveling. But the topic at hand is visa applicants; in that case, you aren't just being given a quick 'review' at the border, you are being 'checked out' by a backroom bureaucrat/analyst who has potentially limitless time and resources at his disposal. Presumably they are going to ask you to list all the sites you use, as well as your 'handle' or 'username' on all those sites. And if you make what they consider to be an omission (you didn't list the "Granny's Knitting Forum" you participate in), they refuse your application.

I just did a quick check; I have signed up for over 30 'discussion forums' over the years - a Honda forum, a Toyota forum, a Lexus forum, and an Acura forum from when I had those car models; several camera forums (Digital Photography Review, Nikon owners, Canon owners, etc), a hearing aid forum, two CPAP forums, an eyesight forum, a few movie discussion forums, several travel forums ... and on and on. They are all 'focused' forums, but all have 'general areas' like BE's TIO. And then there's Reddit, which is an absolute quagmire of 'stuff', and Quora, and Disqus ...

I remember when I applied to be a US citizen, they required the applicant to list all the clubs and societies they’d ever joined in their life. Potentially, they could haul you over the coals if you omitted membership of your high school chess club twenty-five years ago.