U.S. Proposes Mandatory Social Media Checks for Tourists/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ U.S. plans to require social media history from visa waiver tourists. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) aims to expand data collection on ESTA forms. Travelers could also be required to submit biometric data and personal tech history.
U.S. Tourist Vetting Expansion: Quick Looks
- New CBP Proposal: Foreign tourists using the Visa Waiver Program would need to provide five years of social media history under a new federal plan.
- ESTA Updates: The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) form would make social media disclosure a mandatory field, rather than optional.
- Increased Surveillance: CBP may also collect email addresses, IP addresses, metadata, and biometric identifiers like face, fingerprints, and DNA.
- Presidential Directive: This move follows a Trump executive order to vet travelers “to the maximum degree possible.”
- Digital Rights Backlash: Critics like the Electronic Frontier Foundation warn of serious privacy risks and potential identity theft.
Deep Look: U.S. May Mandate Social Media Checks for Tourists
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is advancing a plan that would mandate tourists from Visa Waiver Program countries to submit their social media history from the past five years when applying for entry through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). This proposal marks a significant shift in how the U.S. screens travelers from traditionally low-risk countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, Israel, and Qatar.
Published in the Federal Register, the CBP’s proposal builds on a Trump administration executive order directing federal agencies to “vet to the maximum degree possible” all individuals seeking to enter the United States. The agency has proposed turning what was previously an optional social media field into a mandatory requirement on the ESTA form.
Expanding Data Collection
Beyond social media handles, the CBP proposal also seeks to collect several “high value data fields” for a more comprehensive traveler profile. These include:
- Telephone numbers used over the past five years
- Email addresses from the last ten years
- IP addresses
- Metadata from uploaded photos
- Biometric information, including facial recognition, fingerprints, DNA, and iris scans
Additionally, the proposal would require applicants to submit a selfie through a mobile app, part of a broader effort to automate and digitize identity verification.
Targeting ESTA Travelers
The Visa Waiver Program allows eligible travelers to visit the U.S. for business or tourism without a traditional visa, as long as they receive ESTA approval. ESTA applications cost $40 and are valid for two years.
Under the proposed rule, all ESTA applicants—regardless of country of origin—would have to disclose all social media platforms and handles used in the past five years. This goes beyond the current optional field and signals a more aggressive move toward online surveillance.
Echoes of Student Visa Scrutiny
This proposal follows similar steps taken by the State Department in July, which requested foreign students to set their social media profiles to public to facilitate “thorough vetting.” The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) strongly criticized that move, arguing it exposed students to unnecessary privacy violations and online threats.
EFF likened the requirement to a forced abandonment of basic privacy hygiene, warning that such data would be open to identity thieves, hackers, and potentially hostile actors.
Public Comments and Next Steps
The proposal is now in a 60-day public comment period, giving civil rights groups, tech experts, foreign governments, and concerned individuals a chance to weigh in. If finalized, the rule would dramatically reshape the privacy expectations of millions of international travelers entering the U.S. each year under the Visa Waiver Program.
While the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) already collects optional social media data through ESTA, the new policy would remove the option to skip the question. Officials claim the additional information helps identify potential security threats, though critics argue it may yield limited intelligence at high privacy cost.
As geopolitical tensions rise and border security remains a top priority for the Trump administration, the U.S. appears increasingly committed to digital surveillance as a core part of its national security strategy.
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