Trump May Require Social Media Checks for Travelers
▼ Summary
– The Trump administration is proposing to make social media history from the past five years mandatory for tourists from 42 visa-waiver countries entering the US.
– Visitors would need to provide their social media accounts when applying through the ESTA system, which they currently use for visa-free travel.
– This proposal is part of a broader administration effort to scrutinize immigrants’ and visitors’ social media, including for green card and visa applicants.
– The proposal would also require travelers to submit additional extensive personal data, like decade-old email addresses and family member information.
– The public has a 60-day period to submit comments on this Customs and Border Protection proposal.
Travelers from dozens of countries could soon face a new digital border requirement under a proposal from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The plan would make it mandatory for visitors to provide their social media handles and a five-year history of their online activity when applying for authorization to enter the United States. This move represents a significant expansion of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to scrutinize the digital footprints of immigrants and tourists alike.
Currently, citizens from 42 nations, including key allies like Australia, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom, can visit for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. They do, however, need to secure travel authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA. The new rule would integrate social media information directly into that ESTA application process.
This initiative aligns with a broader pattern of increased immigration scrutiny. Earlier this year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services proposed reviewing the social media accounts of individuals applying for green cards, citizenship, asylum, and refugee status. Separately, the State Department began asking most visa applicants to disclose their social media identifiers in June. President Trump’s focus on social media as a vetting tool is not unprecedented, as his administration previously mandated similar disclosures from certain visa applicants.
Beyond social media, the CBP proposal seeks a wider net of personal data from travelers “when feasible.” This could include every email address used in the past decade, phone numbers from the last five years, extensive details about family members, and even biometric data. For comparison, the current ESTA form only requests a single email address, phone number, home address, and emergency contact details.
The proposed rule is now open for a 60-day public comment period, allowing individuals and organizations to weigh in on the potential privacy and security implications before any final decision is made.
(Source: The Verge)
