The State Department is scrubbing its X accounts of all posts from before Trump’s second term

The State Department is deleting the posting history of its X accounts and making it so you have to file a Freedom of Information Act request if you want access to any of the content it removed, according to NPR. The publication reports that the State Department is eliminating all positions from before President Trump’s current term — a move that affects several accounts associated with the department, including those at U.S. embassies, and positions from the Biden and Obama administrations. Posts from Trump’s first term will also be removed.

Unlike how previous administrations handled the removal of social media content and transition of accounts, these posts will not be kept in public records. A State Department spokesperson confirmed this to NPR, and said the move was intended to “limit confusion about U.S. government policy and speak with one voice to advance the goals and messages of the President, the Secretary, and the Administration.” This will preserve history while promoting the present.” The spokesperson also called X accounts “one of our most powerful tools for advancing the goals of America First.”

The Trump administration has removed information from government websites since taking office last year. Just this week, the CIA unexpectedly deleted its World Factbook, a global reference guide available on the Internet since 1997.