Donald Trump's New Social Media Vetting Policy Amounts to a “Direct Attack on Privacy, Free Speech and Freedom of Expression, says Soc Dems TD - 15/12/2025

Last week on the programme, we heard about “authoritarian” moves by Donald Trump’s administration to ask travellers, including from Ireland, to hand over five years of social media history.The new policy has been branded “a massive overreach” that would damage relations with the US.Under the new policy announced this week, all tourists, whether they require a visa or not, may have to undergo social media screenings to enter the US.nThe proposal, which is open for public consultation for 60 days, comes as the Trump administration has ramped up scrutiny of foreign travellers.We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Social Democrats foreign affairs spokesperson Patricia Stephenson, who says that the policy amounts to a “direct attack on privacy, free speech and freedom of expression” and would represent “a setback” for relations between Ireland and the US. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.