By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) – Two Democratic senators urged the Trump administration on Friday to abandon a proposal to require millions of foreign visitors to provide social media handles used over the past five years.
The proposed policy from U.S. Customs and Border Protection would require travelers from countries in the visa waiver program to submit the social media data.
“By requiring travelers to disclose their personal social media information, CBP will force people who simply want to visit family in the United States, conduct business with U.S. companies, or attend events such as the upcoming World Cup to submit to sweeping digital surveillance,” said Senators Ed Markey and Ron Wyden.
“No doubt many Americans would be outraged if countries such as Great Britain, France, or Australia imposed a similar policy on American tourists.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately comment. In December, the department said the proposal could take effect as early as this month.
Earlier, a group representing the U.S. travel and tourism industry warned the proposal could have a “chilling effect” on visits to the United States. “If we get this policy wrong, millions of travelers could take their business and the billions of dollars they spend elsewhere, only making America weaker,” the U.S. Travel Association said.
Applicants for immigrant and non-immigrant visas have been required to share that information since 2019.
Washington has taken steps to tighten vetting of foreigners, stemming from a Trump executive order issued in January 2025 calling for visitors to the U.S. to be “vetted and screened to the maximum degree.”
The visa waiver program allows travelers from 42 countries, mostly in Europe, to visit the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa. They must complete an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) form, which under the change would require social media handles.
The U.S. is considering requiring all email addresses used over the last 10 years and names, birth dates, residences and birthplaces of parents, siblings, children and spouses.
The U.S. State Department in December said it was requiring all H-1B applicants and their dependents to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to “public” in order for the department to review social media posts by applicants.
(Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by William Maclean)
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