The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will reportedly start scrutinizing the social media posts of those applying for visas, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The news comes after the New York Times last week reported that one of the San Bernardino shooters "talked openly on social media about her views on violent jihad." Those posts were uncovered during the post-shooting investigation, but not during her visa application process because "immigration officials do not routinely review social media as part of their background checks," the Times said.
According to the Journal, DHS started looking at social media posts on sites like Facebook earlier this year as part of a pilot program. But those tests do not "sweep up all posts." Details are scant because officials don't want would-be attackers to know their process.
However, the shooter, Tashfeen Malik, entered the U.S. in mid-2014 on a K-1 visa, which are granted to those looking to marry U.S. citizens. On the day of the shooting, she reportedly pledged her allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State terror group on a Facebook account registered under a false name, the Journal said. ISIS and other organizations have been known to use social media to communicate and recruit.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.
The House of Representatives is considering a bill that would require a government strategy to curb terrorists' use of social media, the Journal said. On Monday, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul referenced the social media controversy and called for a "more robust vetting and screening of all visa applicants."
Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump last week also called for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on," which many in the tech community, from Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai, were quick to denounce.