US Proposal: Foreign Tourists May Need to Share 5-Year Social Media History - What You Need to Know

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Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has put forth a new proposal that could see foreign tourists required to reveal their social media activity from the past five years. This change, suggested on Tuesday, is part of a broader effort to enhance national security measures.

The proposal stems from a directive to adhere to Executive Order 14161, issued in January 2025, titled “Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats.” As detailed in a federal register announcement, CBP intends to make social media information a mandatory component of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) application.

This requirement would affect travelers from 42 countries that currently participate in the visa waiver program. The goal is to compile more comprehensive “baseline biographic data” by incorporating additional “high value data fields,” which include social media activity.

In related news, international visitors to certain national parks may face an additional $100 entrance fee starting in 2026, further emphasizing the United States’ evolving approach to managing foreign travel and tourism.

Visitors could be asked to provide their telephone numbers used in the last five years, email addresses used in the last 10 years, in addition to IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos.

Public comment on the proposal will remain open for 60 days.

The effort is the latest example in the Trump administration’s tightening of immigration enforcement since the president returned to office.

Currently, eligible foreign tourists are allowed to visit for 90 days without a visa, as long as they first obtain the $40 electronic travel authorization.

The White House has cracked down on criticism spread on social media in recent months, targeting foreign college students and professionals for removal following political remarks.

In March, a French academic was denied entry before being deported back to Europe for posting messages critical of the Trump administration’s research policies.

In April, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said applicants’ social media accounts would be flagged for antisemitic content as grounds for denying any immigration benefits.

By June, the State Department announced that foreign student visa applicants would be required to make their social media accounts public for vetting or face potential denial.