Overview
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection published a proposed rule to require ESTA applicants to disclose social media identifiers from the past five years.
- The change would cover citizens of 42 Visa Waiver Program countries who use ESTA for trips of up to 90 days without a traditional visa.
- CBP also proposes collecting additional "high value" data, including telephone numbers from the last five years, email addresses from the last ten years, IP address and photo metadata, and detailed information about close family members.
- The plan contemplates expanded biometric collection—facial images, fingerprints, DNA and iris data—and would shift new applications to a mobile app that captures a selfie.
- Civil-liberties and travel groups warn of privacy risks, potential speech chilling, processing delays and tourism impacts, while CBP says the move implements President Trump’s Executive Order 14161 to maximize vetting.