Foreign Travelers To US Could Soon Be Asked To Provide 5 Years Of Social Media History To Enter Country

Foreign visitors to the United States — including those from visa-waiver countries like the UK, Germany, France, and Japan — may soon have to hand over five years of social-media history to enter the country. The proposal, put forward by Customs and Border Protection and published in the Federal Register, marks the latest move by the Trump administration to tighten border screening.

If approved, the requirement would apply to everyone using the ESTA system, which currently allows eligible travelers to visit the U.S. for up to 90 days after paying a $40 fee. The plan goes far beyond the existing form, adding phone numbers from the last five years, email addresses dating back ten years, and personal details for family members. The proposal states that “the data element will require ESTA applicants to provide their social media from the last 5 years.”

CBP is also considering adding a selfie to the application process and expanding biometric collection to include DNA and iris scans. At the moment, only facial and fingerprint data are recorded at the border.

The public now has 60 days to comment on the proposal, which arrives ahead of a predicted surge in tourism due to the upcoming men’s World Cup and the 2028 Olympics. But analysts warn it could slow travel, increase processing times, and raise new privacy concerns. Sophia Cope of the Electronic Frontier Foundation argued the policy could “exacerbate civil liberties harms.”

The administration has already expanded social-media monitoring for various visa categories, requiring some applicants to make their profiles public and launching what it calls an “online presence review.” Officials say the tougher approach follows January’s executive order on national security and is meant to identify those “who advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats.”

Civil-liberties groups and immigration lawyers worry the new rules would only add to existing barriers. Travelers have already reported being denied entry over comments or messages found on their personal devices since Trump returned to office. One case involved a French scientist who was turned away after officers flagged messages said to “reflect hatred toward Trump and can be described as terrorism.”

The broader climate around speech and political expression has also become part of the debate. Recent controversies — from Jimmy Kimmel’s brief suspension after remarks about the killing of Charlie Kirk, to Harvard University’s legal battle with the administration over frozen research funds — have intensified questions about how the government is interpreting criticism and dissent.

Tourism groups say the policy changes under Trump are already showing an economic impact. The World Travel & Tourism Council recently projected the U.S. to be the only one of 184 analyzed economies expecting a drop in international visitor spending this year. Canadian travel to the U.S. has also dropped for 10 consecutive months, with some citing political protest as the reason.

For now, the proposed screening rule remains open for debate — but if enacted, it would mark one of the most sweeping expansions of digital vetting the U.S. has ever applied to foreign tourists.