The Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently enacted a policy under which federal agencies may consider publicly available social media information in connection with an application for a security clearance. The new policy allows investigators to scan an applicant's history on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other similar sites. However, agencies cannot force individuals to hand over their passwords for private accounts, or provide pseudonyms for any profiles. Also, social media information gathered as part of a background check will not be retained unless it is considered "relevant" to the security status of the person in question. See current guidance on social media usage.
For guides on security clearance eligibility and listings of security-cleared jobs around the nation, visit the Military.com Security Clearance Jobs section.
