Overview
- CBP proposes making disclosure of all social‑media accounts from the past five years a mandatory part of the ESTA application for nationals of roughly 42 Visa Waiver Program countries.
- The plan would add extensive new data fields, including phone numbers used in the past five years, email addresses from the past ten years, IP addresses, photo metadata, and detailed information on family members.
- The agency outlines broader biometric collection for identity checks, including facial features and fingerprints, with the proposal also referencing DNA and iris data.
- ESTA submissions would shift to a CBP mobile app designed to read e‑passport security features, verify selfies, and capture biometrics, while the website would stop accepting new applications.
- Officials frame the changes as counterterrorism and counter‑espionage measures under Presidential Order 14161, as civil‑liberties groups warn of privacy and speech chilling effects and note that adoption could face legal challenges and would not begin before early 2026.