Foreigners allowed to travel to the US without a visa could soon face new social media screening

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced plans to significantly expand vetting requirements for travelers from visa-exempt countries, potentially requiring five years of social media history and additional personal data before approving entry to the United States.

A notice published Wednesday in the Federal Register outlined Customs and Border Protection’s proposal to collect extensive social media information from visitors participating in the Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizens from approximately 40 countries to enter the U.S. for tourism or business for up to three months without obtaining a visa.

The proposed changes would affect travelers from primarily European and Asian nations who currently use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for pre-screening rather than undergoing in-person embassy interviews required for standard visa applicants.

Under the new requirements, travelers would need to provide social media information covering a five-year period, telephone numbers used over the past five years, and email addresses spanning the past decade. The proposal also includes collecting metadata from electronically submitted photos and comprehensive information about family members, including their birthplaces and contact details.

This represents a substantial expansion from the current ESTA application, which requests more limited information such as parents’ names and a current email address.

When asked whether the expanded vetting might negatively impact tourism, President Donald Trump dismissed concerns, emphasizing security priorities instead. “We want safety, we want security, we want to make sure we’re not letting the wrong people come into our country,” Trump stated during a White House event.

CBP clarified that the rule remains in the proposal stage, noting in a statement: “Nothing has changed on this front for those coming to the United States. This is not a final rule, it is simply the first step in starting a discussion to have new policy options to keep the American people safe.”

The agency referenced a recent attack against the National Guard in Washington DC as part of its rationale for enhanced vetting measures. The proposed changes align with an executive order signed by Trump in January that called for increased screening of foreign visitors to prevent potential national security threats.

The public has a 60-day window to submit comments on the proposed changes before they can be implemented.

The expansion builds on existing policies that already require social media disclosures from travelers from non-visa waiver countries, a practice that began during Trump’s first administration and continued during President Biden’s term. However, citizens from visa waiver countries have thus far been exempt from these requirements.

Since January, the Trump administration has intensified scrutiny of both incoming travelers and those already in the United States. Visa applicants must now set all social media accounts to public visibility to allow authorities to review for what they consider potentially problematic content. Refusal to make accounts public can result in visa denial, according to State Department guidelines.

Additionally, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services now examines whether benefit applicants, such as those seeking green cards, have supported or endorsed content deemed anti-American, terrorist, or antisemitic in nature.

The heightened focus on social media vetting has raised concerns among immigration advocates and civil liberties groups. Critics question what specific content authorities are targeting and whether these measures might infringe on free speech rights by potentially penalizing individuals for expressing views critical of the administration or its policies.

The proposed expansion represents one of the most comprehensive attempts yet to incorporate digital footprints into the screening process for international travelers, reflecting the administration’s broader emphasis on tightening border security and immigration controls.