UK authorities say the accounts can help assess fraud risk, a UK charity said.
German Federal Police have proposed checking the social media accounts of Schengen visa applicants to help embassy officials confirm their information, British civil liberties watchdog Statewatch said, citing internal documents.
Embassy officials in the Schengen area, which consists of 29 countries, generally assess applications based on subjective criteria, including the following: “plausibility” their stated reasons for travel and their likelihood of leaving the area.
The document suggests adding an investigation into applicants' social media accounts to the assessment, stressing that social media, which is sometimes openly accessible and provides useful information, is increasingly important when it comes to security issues.
“You can check if the traveler is active on them and what content is displayed, what groups they belong to or what places they last visited,” The London-based charity cites the document. “Job profiles allow us to draw conclusions about the actual profession and, therefore, about income.”
The recommendation is reportedly part of the 'Handbook on Visa Fraud: Preventive Measures and Enforcement Approaches' which also calls for developing “risk profiles”, which would use criteria such as “gender, age, groups of people, origin, itinerary” to assess the risk of applicants committing visa fraud.
According to a Federal Police spokesman quoted by Statewatch, “intensive” Uses of open source research “They are generally within the legal framework for border controls (Schengen Borders Code) and the rules for issuing visas (Visa Code).”
“Furthermore, appropriate measures always depend on the national legislation of the EU member states.” The spokesman emphasized.
As of 2024, the Schengen area covers 25 of the 27 EU member states, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Currently, the Schengen visa application does not include a field to indicate the applicant's social media accounts.
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