The US government, led by President Donald Trump, is about to enact a new law requiring foreign visitors who are not required to have a visa to provide their social media history prior to entering the US.
The new regulation will apply to travelers from 42 countries that now do not require a visa to enter the United States, including the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and Japan, according to an official notice published in the Federal Register on Tuesday.
Travelers from these countries currently just need to apply for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which necessitates the submission of basic personal data, according to reports.
However, the current proposal aims to make it “mandatory” for ESTA applicants to disclose their social media accounts and activities from the previous five years.
According to the notification, visitors would have to submit “social media histories from the last five years,” which is a major increase in the amount of information the US requires of those who enter the country without a visa.
The Trump administration plans to gather what it refers to as “high-value data fields” in addition to social media data.
Among them are:
phone numbers from the previous five years
Email addresses used within the previous 10 years
Family members’ personal information
Biometric data
Before the draft rule is finalized, the public has been given sixty days to provide feedback.
The program is a component of the administration’s larger, multi-year campaign against immigration and border security. In the guise of national security and integrity of vetting, the Trump administration has consistently increased entrance rules.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is anticipated to attract millions of tourists from all over the world, will be jointly hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada.
According to reports, a significant number of football fans who intend to travel for the international event are likely to be impacted by the most recent proposal.
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