The US digital doxxing of H-1B applicants is a massive privacy misstep

The US is requiring skilled workers on H-1B visas and their families to set all social media profiles to public before their consular interviews, starting 15 December 2025, a move Malwarebytes calls a massive privacy misstep. According to the US State Department, immigration officers will use an “online presence review” to vet newcomers for signs of threat to national security, and this review now extends to H-4 dependents as well.

An internal State Department cable obtained by CBS used sharper language, instructing officers to screen for indicators of hostility toward the United States. The article notes the H-1B programme last year saw around 400,000 visas processed, most of which were renewals, with dependents pushing the total well over a million people.

It also highlights that public exposure could aid adversaries in targeting individuals with information about their colleagues, routines, and beliefs, increasing risks such as spear-phishing and impersonation. The piece argues that mandatory public exposure risks security and privacy and could normalise forced transparency in government interactions.