A memo released by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper paves the way for social media checks to be used in the security clearance background investigation process. Any information searched must be related to the 13 adjudicative criteria, and must be information that is publicly available. A background investigator will

Effective May 12, 2016 security clearance background investigations may include the collection and review of publicly available media information in determining eligibility for access to classified information. The long awaited policy release, Security Executive Agent Direction 5, gives the Federal government authority to implement these checks, however, it leaves it