US to Require Social Media History for Travelers

The United States plans to require certain visitors to provide their social media history for the past five years, according to the government of President Donald Trump. The proposal, announced by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), would allow officials to collect social media history from travelers from visa-waiver countries.

The measure would apply to travelers using the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) under the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizens of 42 countries, including Greece, to travel to the U.S. for tourism or business purposes for up to 90 days. Visitors would need to provide the CBP with a list of social media handles or usernames they have used in the past five years.

Caroline DeCell, a senior attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, stated that the privacy implications would be significant, as it would require the disclosure not only of social media usernames but also of all telephone numbers used in the past five years and email addresses used in the past 10 years.

DeCell warned that this system would deter free expression online, and many foreigners would be discouraged from traveling to the U.S.