This story has been updated to include a statement by the U.S. Travel Association that was issued on Monday morning, Dec. 15.
The Trump administration wants to require all visitors to the United States to disclose five years of their social media history as a condition of entry.
The proposal raised concerns that travelers whose personal or political views expressed don’t align with the current administration’s — or those that are critical of President Donald Trump — could be barred from visiting the U.S.
Experts also said that the policy, if put into force, could lead to similar retaliatory requirements being placed on U.S. travelers seeking to visit other countries.
“In order to comply with the January 2025 Executive Order 14161 (Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats), CBP is adding social media as a mandatory data element for an ESTA application,” according to the notice published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the Dec. 10 in the Federal Register. “The data element will require ESTA applicants to provide their social media from the last 5 years.”
CPB also signaled its intention to collect other personal information from visitors, including telephone numbers used in the past five years and email addresses used in the past 10 years.
The requirements would apply to travelers from 42 countries whose citizens currently are allowed to travel to the U.S. without a visa.
On Monday morning, Dec. 15, the U.S. Travel Association issued the following statement: “We are deeply concerned by the recent announcement by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that it may seek social media history from Visa Waiver Program travelers to the United States. And without more detail from CBP, there are legitimate questions from travelers about what information they might need to provide, and from security experts as to whether this policy would meaningfully increase America’s security. One thing that isn’t in question: this policy could have a chilling effect on travel to the United States.
“Visa Waiver Program travelers come here to do deals with American businesses, buy American products and experience the beauty of our great nation. If we get this policy wrong, millions of travelers could take their business and the billions of dollars they spend elsewhere, only making America weaker. The administration has taken many positive steps in its first 11 months, including modernizing TSA policies, adding CBP officers, reducing visa wait times and organizing the entire government to prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. We look forward to working with them to continue to improve travel facilitation and restore the United States as the world’s most visited destination.”
Biometric Information Collected Upon Departure
CBP also is proposing to collect biometric information from departing tourists as part of a plan to ensure that they have left the country; geolocation technology would be used to ensure departure.
The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) website for entering visitors would also be discontinued; tourists would now be required to use the ESTA mobile app to process their application to enter the U.S.
The clock is already running on the statutory 60-day comment period for interested parties to weigh in on the proposed changes.
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