US EditionTrump Administration Proposes Mandatory Social Media Disclosure for All Foreign Tourists
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to require visa-exempt travelers to submit five years of social media data and biometric information to enhance security vetting.
- Published on December 10, U.S. Customs and Border Protection filed a proposal to expand social-media checks for visitors using the Electronic System for Travel Authorization and the Visa Waiver Program.
- Officials say the proposal seeks to strengthen pre-arrival vetting and threat detection, building on recent Trump administration expansions including USCIS assessments of anti-American or terrorist views.
- Under the draft, applicants would have to provide social‑media identifiers, past email and phone histories, family details, biometrics including selfie, fingerprints, iris scans, possible DNA, and use the ESTA mobile app instead of the website, affecting the $40 ESTA fee and two‑year authorisation.
- The rule opens a 60‑day public comment period as a coalition of more than 20 tourism and travel businesses warn it could deter millions, while the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Fragomen caution it may chill speech and delay authorizations.
- If approved, CBP could phase in the changes gradually over weeks and months, Fragomen said, and the rule could affect the major influx of visitors expected for the men's football World Cup next year.
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298 Articles
Africa: U.S. to Mandate 5-Year Social Media History for Visa-Free Travellers
The United States is seeking to introduce stricter digital-screening rules for millions of visitors entering the country under its Visa Waiver Program, proposing mandatory disclosure of social media activity spanning the past five years.
According to a proposal submitted on Tuesday by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office, phone numbers used in the last five years, e-mail addresses used in the last 10 years, IP addresses and electronically sent photo metadata, as well as biometric data such as facial, fingerprint, DNA and iris data could also be requested.
US plans to vet foreign tourists’ social media history
The US government could require all foreign tourists to provide five years’ worth of their social media history to enter the country. The White House has previously expanded screening of visa applicants’ online presence, citing national security concerns and a need to root out anti-American and antisemitic sentiment. The new proposal, NBC News reported, would even apply to countries whose citizens can enter the US visa-free. The crackdown could …
'Death knell': Internet blasts Trump for 'decimating' tourism with social media crackdown
President Donald Trump was under fire from critics on Wednesday who accused him of killing tourism in the United States with a new policy that would require visitors to undergo social media inspections. Under the new rule, international travelers would have to provide their social media history over the last five years, The Guardian reported.Social media users had strong responses to the new mandate. "If you want to ban foreign tourism, just say…
The U.S. is considering new measures that may include checking the social media history of foreign tourists entering the U.S. for up to five years.
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