Travellers to the US from 42 countries may soon be subject to mandatory checks of their social media history, as per a proposal filed by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The proposed plan comes months ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is not only expected to lead to increased tourism in the US, but also contribute significantly to the American economy, driving $30.5 billion in economic output and creating 185,000 jobs.
According to the proposal, those who can currently travel to the US under the visa waiver programme will be subject to the checks, as first reported by The New York Times.
Currently, visitors from 42 countries, including European Union (EU) member states, some other European nations, as well as a handful of nations from the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle-East, and South America can travel to the US sans a visa, and can stay for up to 90 days as long as they obtain approval under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
The proposal, if approved, would require these travellers to provide a trove of data to US authorities to get travel approval.
What data is the CBP looking to collect?
Travellers looking to enter the US under the visa waiver programme will have to submit their own data as well as family members.
The CBP proposal, viewed by Mint, lists the following "high value data elements" for mandatory submission, in addition to the information already collected in ESTA applications.
These data elements include:
- Telephone numbers used in the last five years
- Email addresses used in the last ten years
- IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos
- Family member names (parents, spouse, siblings, children)
- Family number telephone numbers used in the last five years
- Family member dates of birth
- Family member places of birth
- Family member residencies
- Biometrics – face, fingerprint, DNA, and iris
- Business telephone numbers used in the last five years
- Business email addresses used in the last ten years
The CBP proposal also suggests adding social media "as a mandatory data element" for an ETSA application, with travellers being required to furnish their social media history from the last 5 years.
The proposal to include social media checks, the CBP says, is for compliance with the January 2025 Executive Order 14161 (Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats).
Which countries are eligible for the visa waiver programme?
Currently, travellers from 42 countries can avail of the visa waiver programme, including EU nations and others from Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle-East, and South America.
EU nations: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
Non-EU European nations: Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Asia-Pacific: Australia, Brunei, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan*
Middle East: Israel, Qatar
Will this affect the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
The CBP's proposal will go through 60 days of public feedback, ending 9 February 2026, and if implemented, could come right ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is jointly being hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada.
Although it is impossible to say now whether this increased scrutiny and mandatory screening will dampen the mood for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, experts have warned that it could have consequences.
As news about the CBP's proposed changes started doing the rounds, law firm Fragomen said that some travellers could certainly be affected.
"The increase in data collection could also mean that ESTA applicants would face an increased likelihood of being flagged for closer scrutiny and/or would experience longer waits for ESTA approval," the law firm said on the proposed changes.
