Trump administration proposes mandatory social media checks for visa-free US travel
The Trump administration is proposing sweeping new travel rules that will impact Australian tourists.
Citizens of countries including Australia, the UK and France will have to disclose five years of their social-media history to visit the US, even though they are covered by a visa waiver program, under a proposal by the Trump administration.
The proposed requirement would apply to visitors using the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation, or ESTA, under a visa waiver program that covers 42 countries, including Italy, Japan and Germany. The visa waiver program allows citizens of designated countries to travel to the US for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days without a visa.
The Trump administration said the change was necessary to comply with an executive order aimed at protecting the US from foreign threats, according to the proposed rule filed by US Customs and Border Protection. CBP said it is accepting public comments for 60 days on the proposal, which also says the ESTA website will be decommissioned and applications moved to a mobile platform. The new requirement won’t take effect until the rule is completed, a process that will take several months.
It is unclear if the proposed rule applies only to public social-media posts or if it includes private messages as well. CBP didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Travellers using ESTA currently provide their name, birth date and passport information. The traveller also must disclose any arrests and convictions for certain crimes, history of visa revocations or deportations.
CBP has also proposed adding additional requirements “when feasible.” They include business email addresses used in the past 10 years, family member names and family member telephone numbers used in the past five years.
The proposed rules build on an expansion of requirements the State Department has placed on certain visa applicants, including students and applicants for the H-1B work visa. Foreign students or employees looking to come to the US are now required to make all of their social-media profiles public and provide handles for the government to scour their past posts.
The vetting has been so burdensome that the State Department has started cancelling some visa interviews because it can’t keep up with the load.
Dow Jones
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