Travelers from countries permitted to enter the United States without obtaining a visa may soon need to provide detailed information about their social media activities, email accounts, and family background to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for travel approval.
A notice released Wednesday in the Federal Register indicates that Customs and Border Protection is considering a proposal to gather five years of social media data from travelers hailing from specific nations that participate in the visa-free entry program to the U.S.
This move aligns with the Trump administration’s broader efforts to enhance scrutiny of international visitors and immigrants.
The proposal targets travelers from over 30 countries involved in the Visa Waiver Program, who are required to submit their details through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). This system conducts automatic screenings before granting travel approval to the U.S.
Unlike those applying for visas, these travelers typically do not need to attend an interview at an embassy or consulate.
The DHS oversees this program, which currently permits citizens from around 40 predominantly European and Asian countries to visit the U.S. for tourism or business purposes for up to 90 days without a visa.
The announcement also said that CBP would start requesting a list of other information, including telephone numbers the person has used over the past five years or email addresses used over the past decade.
Also sought would be metadata from electronically submitted photos, as well as extensive information from the applicant’s family members, including their places of birth and their telephone numbers.
The application that people are now required to fill out to take part in ESTA asks for a more limited set of questions such as parents’ names and current email address.
Asked at a White House event whether he was concerned the measure might affect tourism to the U.S., President Donald Trump said no.
“We want safety, we want security, we want to make sure we’re not letting the wrong people come into our country,” Trump said.
The public has 60 days to comment on the proposed changes before they go into effect, the notice said.
CBP officials did not immediately respond to questions about the new rules.
The announcement did not say what the administration was looking for in the social media accounts or why it was asking for more information.
But the agency said it was complying with an executive order that Trump signed in January that called for more screening of people coming to the U.S. to prevent the entry of possible national security threats.
Travelers from countries that are not part of the Visa Waiver Program system are already required to submit their social media information, a policy that dates back to the first Trump administration.
The policy remained during Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration.
But citizens from visa waiver countries were not obligated to do so.
Since January, the Trump administration has stepped up checks of immigrants and travelers, both those trying to enter the U.S. as well as those already in the country.
Officials have tightened visa rules by requiring that applicants set all of their social media accounts to public so that they can be more easily scrutinized and checked for what authorities view as potential derogatory information.
Refusing to set an account to public can be considered grounds for visa denial, according to guidelines provided by the State Department.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services now considers whether an applicant for benefits, such as a green card, “endorsed, promoted, supported, or otherwise espoused” anti-American, terrorist or antisemitic views.
The heightened interest in social media screening has drawn concern from immigration and free speech advocates about what the Trump administration is looking for and whether the measures target people critical of the administration in an infringement of free speech rights.
