U.S. Plans to Scrutinize Foreign Tourists' Social Media History

[dalton99a]

Last edited Wed Dec 10, 2025, 10:16 AM - Edit history (1)

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/travel/social-media-tourists-visa-border-patrol.html

https://archive.ph/INwJ6

U.S. Plans to Scrutinize Foreign Tourists’ Social Media History
Even visitors from countries like Britain and France, whose citizens don’t need visas, would have to share five years’ worth of social media.
By Christine Chung
Dec. 9, 2025, 7:29 p.m. ET

Travelers visiting the United States from countries like Britain, France, Germany and South Korea could soon have to undergo a review of up to five years of their social media history, according to a proposal filed on Tuesday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The change would affect visitors eligible for the visa waiver program, which allows people from 42 countries to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa as long as they first obtain electronic travel authorization.

In a document filed on Tuesday in the Federal Register, C.B.P. said it plans to ask applicants for a long list of personal data including social media, email addresses from the last decade, and the names, birth dates, places of residence and birthplaces of parents, spouses, siblings and children.

Under the current system, applicants from visa waiver countries must enroll in the Electronic System for Travel Authorization program. They pay $40 and submit an email address, home address, phone number and emergency contact information. The authorization is good for two years.

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Who wants to visit a nasty shithole controlled by a demented, deranged dictator

[Ilsa]

1. I've known too many people that cannot recall their

family members' birth dates, including birth year.

Who in government is going to spend time on social media looking for whatever trump is looking for? I makes me want to open a social media account with a single message of "fuck off".

[Swede]

2. That will really help the tourism industry.

[miyazaki]

3. Just another disaster if implemented as reported.

Both tourist and business travel.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. It's stupidly vague so far. And it's asking people to gather data on their families too, probably breaking European laws

The proposal says "the data element will require ESTA applicants to provide their social media from the last 5 years", without giving further details of which specific information will be required.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1dz0g2ykpeo

What does "provide their social media" mean? Collect huge logs of everything you've written - on what? The big ones - Facebook, Twitter etc. are obvious, but where does it stop? Reddit? LinkedIn? DU? Comments sections on blogs? Or do they expect people to list their IDs - but would they have to add the US government as a "friend" to give access to everything?

And "the names, birth dates, places of residence and birthplaces of parents, spouses, siblings and children" is information that Europeans just aren't allowed to spread around, due to privacy laws - transmit that sort of detail about other people, and you need to register as a data holder.