People who normally enter the United States without a visa may soon face a much deeper level of scrutiny. New proposals from the Department of Homeland Security would require visa waiver travelers to hand over far more personal information, including years of social media activity, old email accounts, and extensive family details.
A notice published on Wednesday in the Federal Register outlines the plan. Under it, US Customs and Border Protection wants to collect up to five years of social media history from travelers who use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, widely known as ESTA. ESTA is the fast, online approval system for citizens of 42 countries, among them the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Israel, Qatar, Greece, Malta, Australia, and South Korea. It allows eligible visitors to enter the US for short trips without attending an embassy interview.
At the moment, applicants supply basic personal information. They list their parents’ names, give a current email address, and answer questions about criminal history. An optional question about social media handles was introduced in 2016 but has never been mandatory.
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The latest proposal goes far beyond that. CBP is seeking access to telephone numbers used within the last five years and every email address an applicant has used in the past decade. Officials also want to introduce a set of what they call high value data points whenever possible. These include metadata attached to photos submitted electronically, detailed information about an applicant’s relatives such as their places of birth and phone numbers, and a range of biometric identifiers including fingerprints, iris scans, and DNA.
The notice does not explain how the information will be used or what officers would be searching for on social media. CBP says it is acting under a recent executive order from President Donald Trump, which directs agencies to strengthen background checks and keep out potential security threats.
Travelers who are not part of the visa waiver system already face similar requirements, a policy that began during Trump’s first term and continued under President Joe Biden.
The proposed changes are still open for public feedback. According to the Federal Register, individuals and groups will have sixty days to submit comments before the rules can be finalized.