"In the course of filling out travel forms, you are asked to provide usernames for every single social media account you operate. You're told that every post you've made for the last five years on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and beyond will be scrutinized by customs for any material or opinion deemed unsavory. You're also asked to provide the location and contact information of all your immediate family members, presumably so they can also be researched."
"According to a notice published this week in the Federal Register, which you can read here, full social media history is just one more element of the Donald Trump administration's increased scrutiny of anyone entering the country, scrutiny that will almost certainly result in fewer total travelers (and tourist dollars) coming to the United States, given that no one who cares about privacy would be likely to submit to these rules."
"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. The data element will require ESTA applicants to provide their social media from the last 5 years."
The U.S. will require all visa-exempt foreign visitors to submit usernames and five years of social media history as part of ESTA applications. The requirement stems from Executive Order 14161 and CBP rule changes intended to expand screening for national-security concerns. Applicants must also provide location and contact information for immediate family members. The mandate raises privacy, logistical, and diplomatic concerns and will likely reduce tourism and related revenue. Questions remain about scope (private or deleted posts), data handling, accuracy of automated screening, potential for false positives, and burden on travelers and consular systems. Implementation deadlines, definitions, and redress processes are unclear.
Read at Jezebel
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