The Trump administration has announced plans to mandate that tourists from 42 visa-waiver countries, including Britain, France, Australia, Germany and Japan, disclose their social media activity from the past five years when applying for entry to the United States. The proposal, published by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), would also require applicants to provide telephone numbers used over the same period, email addresses from the last decade, and biometric data including face, fingerprint, DNA and iris scans. Family member details such as names, addresses, birthdates and birthplaces would also be demanded.
CBP stated that the changes to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (Esta) application are intended to comply with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump on his first day back in office, which called for restrictions to ensure visitors do not bear hostile attitudes toward US citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles. The move is expected to significantly impact travel for the 2026 World Cup, which the US is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, with FIFA anticipating 5 million fans attending stadiums and millions more visiting the region.
Tourism to the US has already declined sharply during Trump’s second term, driven by a draconian crackdown on immigrants. California tourism authorities predict a 9% drop in foreign visits this year, while Los Angeles’s Hollywood Boulevard reported a 50% fall in summer foot traffic. Las Vegas has also suffered, exacerbated by the rise of mobile gambling apps. Canadian car trips to the US fell 36.9% in July 2025 compared with the previous year, and commercial airline travel from Canada dropped 25.8% as bilateral relations soured.
Additional measures include a $100 surcharge per foreign visitor for entry to national parks like the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, on top of regular fees. Free admission on Martin Luther King Jr Day has been scrapped, though US residents can now visit for free on Trump’s birthday. The administration has also tightened visa rules for skilled workers, students and journalists, including a $100,000 fee for H1-B visas and demands that foreign students unlock social media profiles. Consular officials have been instructed to deny visas to anyone involved in factchecking or content moderation, accused of complicity in censorship.
The public has two months to comment on the proposal. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment, and Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, also declined to comment. The administration has previously claimed authority to search the devices of any prospective entrant, though refusal is possible.
