By Emmanuel Nduka
The United States Embassy in Nigeria has begun enforcing a policy requiring Nigerian visa applicants to remove privacy settings on their social media accounts to allow thorough vetting during visa processing.
A notice reportedly seen at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja reads:
“Applicants are advised to remove their social media pages from private to public for the purpose of vetting and processing their visas”.
The development has sparked widespread reactions on social media, with many Nigerians expressing concern over what they describe as an invasion of privacy.
Local Newspaper, Peoples Gazette quoted a source on condition of anonymity as saying:
“I understand they need to vet applicants, but forcing us to open our private lives to strangers feels intrusive. What happens to data protection and my right to privacy?”
While the US government has since 2019 required visa applicants to submit their social media usernames, the latest directive appears to go a step further by demanding unrestricted access to users’ online activity.
“This is nothing short of cyber-surveillance. The U.S. may argue it is necessary for national security, but it’s a slippery slope, especially when extended to people with no criminal records or known threats,” a security expert, Yusuf Bakari, told Peoples Gazette.
“The policy should come with clear legal backing and ensure data protection standards are upheld, or it risks being seen as a tool for digital overreach,” he added.
As of press time, the US Embassy in Abuja had not officially responded to inquiries regarding the policy notice.
