US may require visitors to provide five years of social media records before entry

Visitors from dozens of countries, including the United Kingdom, could be asked to provide five years of social media history as a condition of entering the United States, according to a new proposal unveiled by U.S. officials.

The new rules will affect people from dozens of countries who are eligible to visit the U.S. visa-free for 90 days as long as they fill out an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) form.

Since returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump has moved to more comprehensively strengthen the U.S. border – citing national security as a key reason.

Analysts say the new plans could pose a barrier to potential tourists or harm their digital rights.

Asked whether the proposal would lead to a sharp decline in U.S. tourism, Trump said he was not concerned.

“No. We’re doing great,” Trump said Wednesday.

“We just want people to come here safely. We want to be safe. We want to be safe. We want to make sure we don’t let the wrong people into our country.”

The United States is expected to see an influx of foreign tourists next year as it hosts the Men’s Football World Cup along with Canada and Mexico, as well as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The proposal document was submitted by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), part of the agency.

U.S. media reported that it appeared in the Federal Register, the official U.S. government journal. The BBC has asked the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

The proposal states that “data elements will require ESTA Applicant Provide social media for the past 5 years,” without further elaborating on what specific information is required.

The existing ESTA requires travelers to provide relatively limited information and pay a one-time payment of $40 (£30). It is available to citizens of about 40 countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Australia and Japan, and allows them to visit the United States multiple times over two years.

In addition to collecting social media information, the new document recommends collecting phone numbers and email addresses used by applicants within the past five and ten years, respectively, as well as more information about their family members.

The text references a January executive order by Trump titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats.”

Public comment on new proposals for visitor ESTA data collection is open for 60 days.

Sophia Kopp of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group, criticized the plan, telling The New York Times it could “exacerbate harm to civil liberties.”

Meanwhile, immigration law practice Fragomen said this could have real consequences, as applicants could face longer wait times for ESTA approval.

The Trump administration previously announced that it would examine social media accounts when reviewing foreigners applying for student visas or skilled worker H1B visas.

The State Department said applicants and their families will be reviewed for their “online presence” and privacy settings on all social media profiles must be “public” to allow for screening.

An announcement on the website of the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico states that certain visa applicants must list all social media usernames or usernames for each platform they have used in the past five years.

It warns that failure to list any social media information may result in current and future visa denials.

“American citizens expect that their government will do whatever it takes to make our country safer, and that’s exactly what the Trump administration is doing every day,” a senior State Department official said of student visa policy.

Officials are instructed to screen those who “advocate, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats to national security; or who commit unlawful anti-Semitic harassment or violence.”

As part of the government’s broader efforts to tighten border controls, officials recently said existing travel bans affecting 19 countries in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean may soon be expanded.

The move was announced following the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., in which an Afghan man was named as a suspect.

Experts have previously said travel policy changes under Trump have had an impact on the U.S. tourism industry.

Earlier this year, the World Travel and Tourism Council said the United States was the only one of the 184 economies it analyzed to expect international visitor spending to decline in 2025.

Other Trump administration policies also appear to be affecting the country’s tourism industry, such as many Canadians boycotting U.S. travel in protest of Trump’s tariffs.

October marked the tenth consecutive month of declines in Canadian tourist arrivals to the United States. In the past, Canadians accounted for about a quarter of all international visitors to the United States, spending more than $20 billion (£15.1 billion) a year, according to the U.S. Travel Association.