Overview
- Under the proposal, travelers using the Visa Waiver Program’s ESTA would have to submit social‑media identifiers from the past five years.
- The change targets citizens of roughly 42 participating countries who can visit the United States for up to 90 days without a visa once authorized by ESTA.
- CBP also seeks additional “high‑value” data, including phone numbers used in the past five years, email addresses from the past ten years, and extended family details; the notice references metadata from electronically submitted photos.
- The plan was published in the Federal Register and is open for public comment for 60 days, with several reports citing February 9 as the deadline.
- Officials say the measure fulfills Executive Order 14161 to strengthen vetting, while civil‑liberties groups and travel industry voices warn of privacy, free‑speech risks and potential hits to tourism, including before the 2026 World Cup; separate social‑media checks for some visa categories are already expanding.