US could demand five-year social media history from tourists before allowing entry

Tourists from Europe and other regions may be asked to provide a five-year social media history before they can enter the United States, according to a new proposal from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The new rule would affect visitors from countries that normally enjoy relatively easy entry to the United States through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).

The new proposal cites an executive order issued by President Trump in January titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other Threats to National Security and Public Safety.” In his first year in office, Trump has focused on strengthening America’s borders and reducing what he calls illegal immigration.

The US State Department will conduct reviews of the “online presence” of applicants and their dependents and require that the privacy settings of social media profiles be made “public”. Applicants must list all social media handles they have used in the last five years and if any information is omitted, it could result in refusal of current and future visas. CBP did not specify what information it was seeking or what might be disqualifying.

In addition to social media information, CBP may require applicants’ phone numbers and email addresses used within the last five and 10 years respectively, as well as information about their family members.

The new conditions are likely to increase waiting times for ESTA and significantly increase the cost of its application. The CPB paper suggests that an additional 5,598,115 hours of work would be needed per year, or around 3,000 full-time jobs plus all costs involved. Currently, the ESTA application costs $40, allows people to visit the United States for 90 days at a time, and is valid for a period of two years.

Mandatory reporting on social media and other requirements could discourage travelers. Some Australian tourists who were coming to the United States for the upcoming World Cup have now said they have abandoned those plans, according to The guardian, with one person calling the new rules “horrible”.

However, when asked whether the proposal could lead to a decline in tourism in the United States, Trump said he was not worried. “No. We’re doing very well,” he told a reporter. “We want to make sure we don’t let bad people into our country.”

The CPB stressed that the new conditions were only a proposal for now. “Nothing has changed on that front for those coming to the United States. [currently]” a spokesperson told the BBC. “This is not a final rule, it is simply the first step in beginning a discussion to find new policy options to keep the American people safe.”

If enforced, the rule would affect people in 40 countries, including the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Australia and Japan. The largest number of tourists to the United States come from Canada and Mexico, accounting for almost half of the total. However, visitors with passports from these two countries do not need a visa or ESTA approval. Travel to the United States is down 3% this year from 2024 in August 2025, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office.