Five years of posts, likes, and follows: New ESTA rules could reshape travel for millions of tourists from Europe, Asia, and beyond
Washington, D.C. – December 16, 2025 In a major tightening of border screening, the Trump administration has proposed requiring citizens of 42 Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries to submit up to five years of social media history when applying for entry to the United States.
The rule, published Tuesday in the Federal Register by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), would turn social media activity into a mandatory field on the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) — the quick online approval that currently allows visa-free travel for up to 90 days for tourism or business.
Currently, ESTA is a simple $40 form that takes minutes and is valid for two years. Under the new proposal, applicants would also have to provide:
- All email addresses used in the past 10 years
- All phone numbers used in the past 5 years
- Detailed information on immediate family members (including birthplaces and residences)
- Full social media identifiers and activity history going back five years
Failure to disclose could result in denial of travel authorization.
National Security or Privacy Overreach?
CBP justifies the changes as necessary to implement President Trump’s January 2025 executive order, “Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats.” The order demands agencies vet entrants “to the maximum degree possible” for any “hostile attitudes” toward American citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.
The proposal builds on measures from Trump’s first term, when social media screening was rolled out for certain visa categories in 2019, and recent 2025 expansions that already require public access to profiles for student and high-skilled worker visas.
Privacy advocates and civil liberties groups immediately sounded the alarm.
“This is a chilling expansion of government surveillance,” said Neema Singh Guliani, senior policy counsel at the ACLU. “Asking millions of tourists to hand over years of private online activity — much of it political, religious, or deeply personal — will deter free expression and hurt tourism, academic exchange, and family visits.”
Industry leaders echoed the concern. The U.S. Travel Association warned that adding friction to the world’s most popular visa-free program could cost billions in lost visitor spending and thousands of jobs.
Who’s Affected?
The Visa Waiver Program includes 42 countries — mostly close U.S. allies in Europe and Asia-Pacific — whose citizens enjoy streamlined entry because of low overstay rates and strong security cooperation. Key nations include:
- United Kingdom
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Spain
- Japan
- South Korea
- Australia
- New Zealand
- And dozens more
In 2024 alone, more than 20 million ESTA approvals were issued, making it one of the busiest gateways into the United States.
What Happens Next?
The proposal is open for public comment until February 17, 2026. After review, CBP could implement the rules as soon as spring 2026.
For now, current ESTA holders remain unaffected until their authorization expires. But millions planning future trips from British families visiting Disney World to Japanese business travelers heading to Silicon Valley, may soon face a stark choice: open your digital life to U.S. scrutiny, or stay home.
As one frequent European traveler told ABC News: “I post about politics, protests, everything. Do I really have to give the American government five years of my Twitter to visit my cousins in Florida?”
The debate over security versus privacy and America’s image as an open destination — is only beginning.
L’Union Suite will track developments and any specific impacts on Caribbean dual nationals who also hold VWP passports.
Source: ABCNewsLive
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