Washington (TDI): The Trump administration is moving toward requiring visa-exempt foreign tourists to hand over their social media activity from the past five years before they can enter the country, according to a notice published in the Federal Register on Tuesday.
The proposed policy would affect citizens of 42 nations, including the UK, France, Japan and Australia, whose nationals currently do not need a visa to visit the United States. At present, these travellers simply complete an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) application, which asks for basic personal information.
Under the new plan, however, providing social media history would become a compulsory part of the ESTA process. The notice states that travellers would need to list accounts and activity from the previous five years.
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In addition, they would be required to provide other personal data considered “high-value”, such as phone numbers used in the last five years, email addresses from the past decade, details of close relatives, and certain biometric identifiers, according to media reports.
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The proposal is now open for public comment for 60 days. This move marks another step in the Trump administration’s broader drive to tighten entry rules and expand vetting measures as part of its wider immigration crackdown.
The plan comes as the United States prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Canada and Mexico, a tournament expected to draw hundreds of thousands of international visitors.
