- US Plans Mandatory Social Media Checks for Visa-Waiver Visitors.
- Proposal expands data collection to phone records, emails and biometrics.
- Policy may impact global visitors ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The United States government under President Donald Trump is preparing to introduce a new policy that will require visa-exempt foreign travellers to submit their social media history before entering the country.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that details of the proposal were released on Tuesday in the Federal Register, indicating that the rule will affect visitors from 42 visa-waiver countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Australia and Japan, who currently enter the US without a visa.
At present, travellers from these nations only need to apply for the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation, which collects basic personal information. Under the new plan, applicants will be mandated to disclose all social media accounts and activities from the past five years.
According to the notice, visitors will be required to submit “social media histories from the last five years,” marking a major expansion of personal data demanded from those entering the US under the visa-waiver programme.
In addition to social media records, the Trump administration intends to collect several other “high-value data fields.” These include phone numbers used in the last five years, email addresses used within the past ten years, personal information about family members and biometric data.
The proposal has been opened for public review, with members of the public given a 60-day window to submit comments before it is finalised.
The initiative is part of the administration’s broader efforts to tighten migration controls and strengthen border security. In recent years, the government has consistently expanded vetting procedures in the name of national security and traveller screening integrity.
The US, Mexico and Canada are scheduled to jointly host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, an event expected to attract millions of international visitors. The new requirements could affect a significant number of football fans planning to enter the country for the tournament.
