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1h ago

CBP Proposes Mandatory Social‑Media Disclosure for Visa‑Waiver Travelers

A Federal Register filing opens 60 days for public comment under a national‑security directive expanding data and biometric collection.

Travelers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, US, on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. Airlines across the US began canceling flights scheduled for the coming days, as the longest government shutdown in history upends air travel and forces thousands of passengers to change their travel plans.
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Overview

  • The plan would make five years of social‑media history a required field on ESTA applications for visitors from roughly 42 visa‑waiver countries, including the UK, France, Australia and Japan.
  • CBP also proposes adding high‑value data such as telephone numbers from the past five years, email addresses from the past decade, and personal details of immediate family members.
  • The filing calls for a selfie as part of screening and outlines expanded biometric collection that could include face, fingerprints, DNA and iris data.
  • The proposal was published in the Federal Register and is open to public comment for 60 days, with final scope and implementation timing still uncertain.
  • Travel and privacy groups caution that the plan could slow approvals and deter visitors, including prospective 2026 World Cup attendees, and note CBP’s existing authority to search travelers’ devices at the border.