Mr Martin was responding to suggestions Washington wants to be allowed to scrutinise up to five years of a person’s social media activity as part of the visa process to access the US.

It has been suggested that the refusal of an individual to allow such access to US immigration officials could result in the refusal of a holiday visa.

The US social media demand has caused concern in Ireland, with almost 500,000 trips made by Irish people to the US each year.

Most are undertaken under a visa waiver agreement that Ireland has with the US.

Travellers from Ireland also enjoy pre-clearance facilities, which allows them to avoid lengthy checks on arrival at US airports.

Social media vetting for visitors ‘will tarnish US reputation’ warns digital advocate

Irish travel and tourism officials h

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