"The U.S. Customs and Border Protection filed a legal proposal today that will make it mandatory for many tourists to submit the last five years of their social media history as part of the application required to visit the country. The public has 60 days, until early February, to submit comments to this proposal. The social media requirement, if enacted, would apply to any visitor from the 42 different countries in the Visa Waiver Program."
"The social media requirement isn't the only proposed change for tourists visiting the U.S. The Trump administration also wants to add several other "high value data fields" to the ESTA application. These include telephone numbers used in the last five years, email addresses used in the last 10 years, and biometrics information that include fingerprints, DNA, and a photo of the iris."
"If enacted, this requirement could strike yet another blow to international tourism. Through October, more than 9.3 million tourists have visited the U.S. from five countries that would be affected by this proposal-the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, France, and South Korea-and the number of overseas visitors more broadly has fallen 2.5% compared with the same period in 2024, according to figures from the International Trade Administration."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection proposed requiring many tourists to submit the last five years of social media history when applying for travel authorization under the Visa Waiver Program. The rule would affect travelers from 42 countries who use ESTA and pay a $40 fee for visits up to 90 days. The proposal includes a 60-day public comment period. Additional proposed data fields include telephone numbers used in five years, email addresses used in ten years, and biometrics such as fingerprints, DNA, and iris photos. Recent visitor numbers from affected countries have already declined, and enforcement details were not specified.
Read at Fast Company
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