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Passport? stamp? History of social media? US officials plan to demand access to five years of your activity Instagram, Facebook or X (formerly Twitter) and other social media platforms before being issued a permit for entry into the US.
whether you are A football fan heads to the 2026 World CupA family traveling to Florida or a business traveler traveling to New York or Chicago, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) wants to check five years of your social media activity.
are in response to proposal one Executive Order by Donald Trump Foreign visitors should be “screened and screened to the maximum extent possible”.
What red tape do travelers to America have to face at this time?
Most British visitors”it” – electronic system for travel authorization. The permit costs $40 (£30) and allows a stay of up to 90 days within two years. It is also required for transit passengers transferring between international flights at a US airport.
You apply online through the website (taking care to avoid scam sites) or through the app. For most visitors this is a straightforward but slightly tedious formality, with permission to travel to the US usually being granted within a few hours.
If the application is rejected for any reason – and this can happen if your name and personal details match those of someone on the “watchlist” – you may have to apply for a US visa instead, which is expensive and time-consuming.
Do US border officials currently take any interest in social media?
Yes. Nine years ago an optional question was added to the ESTA application process, inviting potential visitors to reveal their social media accounts. You can say, “Here are my Facebook details, Instagram profile and username on X”. But most of the applicants do not do this. When you arrive in the US, border officials may ask to see your phone to check the contents and ask questions about your social media activity.
Some tourists have been turned away for allegedly holding political views contrary to the current administration.
What is changing – and why?
US Customs and Border Protection is “adding social media as a mandatory data element to ESTA applications”. ESTA applicants will be asked to “provide your social media from the past five years.” Its purpose is to investigate the background of foreign arrivals “to the maximum extent possible”.
Officials can examine the applicant’s thoughts and comments, and use the information to help decide whether to issue an ESTA.
CBP says: “Social media can be used to support or verify information on a traveler’s application, which will help facilitate legitimate travel by providing additional means to make decisions on issues related to pertinent questions about identity, occupation, previous travel, and other factors. It can also be used to identify potential fraud or deception.” Furthermore, “social media may help to isolate individuals with additional concerns”.
Anyone who already has a valid ESTA will not be asked for any additional information before traveling to the US. However, upon arrival they may be questioned about their social media activity.
How soon can this happen?
The proposals are published in the Federal RegisterIn which government announcements are made. Officials say they are seeking comments from organizations and individuals on the plan. But it looks like it will be put into practice within a few months to comply with Mr Trump’s executive order. However, for now, there is a window of opportunity in which you can apply for an ESTA – valid for two years – without surrendering your social media details.
What is the reaction in Britain?
Extremely negative. one in voting Yes, I conducted a social media campaign with over 5,000 self-selected reactions:
- 17 percent said that the change did not cause them any problems.
- 16 percent said they would comply reluctantly.
- 28 percent said they were not going to America anyway.
- 40 percent said they were disappointed by the idea and would not travel.
Julia Lo Beau-Sayed, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “These disruptions will severely impact travel from the UK to the US. History shows us that when a destination becomes difficult to reach, British holidaymakers go elsewhere.
“Currently, our membership has seen a 20 percent increase in US bookings due to events like the Soccer World Cup, but new constraints could immediately reverse that trend.”
I predict that this move will deter younger travelers rather than older visitors, as youth tend to have more prominent social media profiles that may include expression of ideas or engagement with causes that are potential red flags for U.S. border officials.
Do other countries also make such demands?
Not just for vacationers. Anyone visiting North Korea can assume that their visa application will have been carefully scrutinized in Pyongyang, with officials checking social media activity before deciding whether to issue a travel permit.
For people hoping to move to another country permanently, immigration officers will sometimes compare the information posted online by the applicant with the information they provided. If, for example, there are a lot of photos of an apparent partner who bears no resemblance to the claimed spouse, this may raise some questions.
Foreign Office warnings about social media activity are rare. The FCDO warns that “expressing support for Ukraine on social media” could get you in trouble in Russia, but almost no one is traveling there. Facebook and X have been permanently blocked in China.
Any other tough offers in the pipeline?
Yes. At the deadline that CBP currently calls “when possible,” applicants will be required to provide even more information, including:
- Names, dates and places of birth of close family members – parents, spouse, siblings and children.
- Telephone numbers used by the applicant and his family in the last five years,
- Email addresses used by the applicant in the last 10 years.
There is even a provision for demanding DNA from applicants, although there is no indication as to how this might be provided. Independent has asked U.S. Customs and Border Protection how it proposes to obtain the genetic material.
CBP also plans to allow applications only through the official app. Currently potential visitors can apply on the ESTA website – but many are redirected to scam sites. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says requiring all applicants to use the app will “enhance security and improve efficiency.”
There is also a technical solution to the problem of passengers whose departure is not properly recorded. For example, anyone leaving from San Diego in California for Tijuana in Mexico simply passes through a gate without any exit checks.
The organization says: “CBP will use geolocation services to confirm that the traveler reporting their departure is outside the United States, and will also run ‘liveness detection’ software to determine whether the selfie photo is a live photo.”
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