The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is moving forward with a plan to impose mandatory and extensive social media vetting on virtually all foreign travelers seeking entry into the United States, including those from visa-waiver countries like Britain.
The proposed policy, detailed in a notice published Tuesday in the U.S. Federal Register, represents a significant expansion of existing security protocols. It would compel tourists, including those traveling under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), to surrender five years’ worth of personal digital history.
According to the notice, the mandatory screening would require applicants to provide five years’ worth of social-media handles, email addresses, and telephone numbers, alongside detailed information about close family members.
The CBP considers the additional screening to be “mandatory” for every traveler, whether they arrive on a standard visa or an ESTA.
Beyond digital history, the overhaul also seeks to expand biometric data collection during the online application process. This includes requiring travelers to upload a selfie and potentially submitting facial scans, fingerprints, iris data, and DNA—a level of biometrics previously limited to in-person checks at official ports of entry.
The proposed rules are now open for a 60-day public consultation period.
While the Trump administration frames the measure as a necessary security enhancement, it arrives amid increasing concerns from civil rights groups over the potential for abuse and infringement on free expression. These fears are amplified by recent reports, including one widely cited incident in which a French scientist was denied entry in March after border officers allegedly found online messages “reflecting hatred toward Trump” that were deemed a national security threat.
Rights groups have pointed to such cases, stating they highlight the dangers of granting frontline officers “broad discretion to interpret online expression as a national-security threat.”
