The Trump administration may soon demand tourists from dozens of countries to hand over their social media handles before entering the country. Under a proposal from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency would make social media history from the past five years a “mandatory” part of the screening process, as previously reported. the new York Times,
Currently, travelers from 42 countries, including Australia, France, Germany, Japan and the UK, can travel to the US for up to 90 days without a visa. If the proposal becomes official, visitors will have to include their social media accounts when applying through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) system.
This proposal comes as President Donald Trump continues to tighten his grip on immigration. In March, US Citizenship and Immigration Services proposed reviewing the social media accounts of people applying for green cards, US citizenship, as well as asylum and refugee status. Meanwhile, the State Department in June began asking visa applicants to make their social media accounts public. Trump’s interest in social media is nothing new, as his previous administration also began requiring some visa applicants to provide their accounts.
CBP’s proposal would also require travelers to submit additional information “when possible,” including email addresses used in the past 10 years, phone numbers used in the past five years, extensive family member information and even biometric data. As noted NYTVisitors are currently required to submit an email address, phone number, home address, and emergency contact information.
The public can comment on the proposal for 60 days.
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