Senators Push For Social Media Background Checks

In the wake of terrorist shootings in San Bernardino, California, a bipartisan pair of U.S. senators urged President Obama to include a review of social media in background screenings of refugees and visa applicants.

"In an era where a growing number of communications takes place on Internet platforms, it would be foolish to ignore this goldmine of information," U.S. Senators Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)stated in their December 15 letter to the President.  The letter was premised on the Department of Homeland Security's findings that Tashfeen Malik, one of the attackers in the San Bernardino attack, had posted social media messages professing her radicalization prior to immigrating to the United States from Pakistan.  Malik's apparent online discussions have raised concerns about how she was able to pass a background check that the government has described as rigorous.