Travelling to the US? Your social media could get you deported

PLANNING a holiday or work trip to the United States? You may want to double-check your social media first.

- SARENE KLOREN

In today’s increasingly politicised travel environment, tourists, including South Africans, are being cautioned to think twice about what they've shared online before stepping onto a flight.

A recent case involving a young Norwegian traveller has sparked global debate. Mads Mikkelsen, a 21-year-old tourist, says he was stopped at Newark Liberty International Airport in June and denied entry after US immigration officials browsed through his mobile phone and found a meme mocking the American Vice President, J.D. Vance.

According to Mikkelsen, he was interrogated, forced to give up his phone password under threat of fines and imprisonment, and later sent back to Norway without setting foot beyond the airport.

Although US authorities deny that the meme was the reason for the deportation, citing Mikkelsen' alleged past drug use instead, the incident highlights growing concerns around privacy, freedom of expression, and the ever-widening net of border control policies under President Donald Trump's second term.