The United States government has proposed a revision to its visa-free travel programme that would require all travellers under the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) to provide a five-year history of their social media activity.
The Department of Homeland Security announced the proposed changes on Wednesday, signalling an expansion of identity verification and security screening measures for international visitors.
Under the current rules, disclosure of social media accounts is voluntary. The proposed guidelines, published in a public notice prior to formal listing in the Federal Register, would make the submission mandatory. “The data element will require ESTA applicants to provide their social media from the last five years,” the notice states.
In addition to social media activity, the new regulations would require applicants to supply email addresses used in the past decade, phone numbers from the previous five years, IP addresses, metadata from submitted photos, and detailed family information. Biometric data requirements would also be broadened to include facial recognition, fingerprints, iris scans, and DNA samples.
US Customs and Border Protection explained that the revisions aim to improve identity verification, identify fraudulent applications, and detect potential security risks.
The proposed changes also include a transition from the ESTA web portal to a mobile-only application system.
If approved, the regulations would affect travellers from the 40 countries currently participating in the US Visa Waiver Programme, which sees more than 14 million applications annually.
The DHS has invited public comments on the proposal for 60 days following its publication. Officials emphasised that the revision forms part of a broader effort to implement Executive Order 14161, signed in January 2025, which seeks enhanced screening measures to identify foreign security threats.
Reports have indicated that social media activity has already influenced entry decisions. A French scientist, for example, was reportedly denied entry in March after posts on his phone were deemed to reflect support for terrorism.
Critics of the proposal have raised concerns about privacy and freedom of expression, noting the potential implications for travellers’ rights.
The DHS stated that the changes are intended to strengthen the security of US borders while aligning with updated federal biographic-data requirements.
The agency stressed that, if implemented, the new measures would represent one of the most extensive expansions of digital identity verification in US immigration history.
