Aussies may soon face social media screening to obtain US holiday/ESTA visa.

[El Presidente]

 

If the below gets up, my second half March plans for a US tour will be thrown into the trashbin 

______________________________________________________________________________

The Trump administration is proposing to ask visitors from several dozen nations that enjoy visa-free travel to the U.S. to submit additional personal information before entering the country, including five years of their social media history, the Department of Homeland Security said in a notice this week.

Citizens of 42 countries enrolled in the visa waiver program can generally come to the U.S. for up to 90 days for tourism or business travel, without needing to apply for a visa at an American embassy or consulate, a process that can take months or even years.

The list of countries in the visa waiver program includes many European nations like the United Kingdom, Germany and France, as well as some U.S. allies around the world, including Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.

 

While citizens of these nations typically don't need visas to travel to the U.S., they still have to submit an application online using a process known as the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA, before entering the country. That system is designed to ensure applicants are eligible for visa-free travel to the U.S., and that they don't pose security concerns.

The Trump administration is proposing to overhaul the ESTA system, mainly to transform it into a mobile-only process. The plan would require applicants to share additional information about themselves and their relatives, according to a notice posted in the federal government's journal of regulations by Customs and Border Protection, a branch of DHS.

The notice said CBP plans to ask visa waiver travelers to share their social media history for the past five years, emails they have used for the past 10 years and the personal information of immediate family members, including phone numbers and residences. The submission of social media history from the last five years will be a mandatory requirement under the proposal, according to the notice. 

[NYGuido]

Oh F this S right in the A. I bet Hammy is lucky he's already a citizen 😂

[my happy place]

This is unbelievable.

We also know the proposal will be written in new times roman font.

[chris12381]

It's a silly waste of your time. Our governments already share all that information.  

I would guess "they" want the ability to act on omissions and inconsistencies about what "we" already know.  

[BrightonCorgi]

If done right, the process and review should be quick with AI. If something doesn't add up, then it goes to tier 2.

Even though the government may already have that information, it's not aggregated into a single source of truth. They'll have to pull from many sources and that takes time to build out.

[NYGuido]

58 minutes ago, chris12381 said:

It's a silly waste of your time. Our governments already share all that information.  

I would guess "they" want the ability to act on omissions and inconsistencies about what "we" already know.  

They want to find people critical of the administration so they can argue it's somehow reasonable to deny them entry. Though they also want to see if people post about intending to overstay any entry permissions.

42 minutes ago, BrightonCorgi said:

If done right, the process and review should be quick with AI.  If something doesn't add up, then it goes to tier 2.

Even though the government may already have that information, it's not aggregated into a single source of truth.  They'll have to pull from many sources and that takes time to build out.

Palantir likely does this for them, already, no?

[Ski18]

And yet I thought there was freedom of speech. All projection. 

[Lucas Buck]

Freedom of speech is dying a quick painful death. 

[Fuzz AI]

Yeeeep...looks like I won't be traveling to the US any time soon if this passes. 

[helix]

At the Canada/USA border/checkpoint Canadians have been in the past few months refused entry and even banned because of what a US CBP officer did not like as an answer or what was on a phone politically.

[yossie]

Time to quit American SNS and start with Chinese ones? LOL

[MrBirdman]

7 hours ago, NYGuido said:

They want to find people critical of the administration so they can argue it's somehow reasonable to deny them entry.

Yup. And they want everyone to make a scene about it - now and when someone is denied. After all, the primary point of the policy is to make news.

Now imagine this - the AI that ultimately destroys humanity does so not because it perceives us as a threat, but because it has been driven utterly insane by having to catalogue and assess the public’s social media accounts. Maybe not a novel length idea, but could make an interesting short story someday!

[El Presidente]

Reminder re the US politics rule. 

I have given some leeway within this thread but don't push it too hard.

This policy, should it come into effect in the manner that has been proposed, will likely have some potential downsides for many within the international CC industry when it comes to visiting the US. 

Let's see how it plays out. ESTA visas are live for two years. Mine expires 1/4/26. I would be loathe to apply for a new one under the current requirements. 

[MrBirdman]

@El Presidente I came back to FOH before bed specifically to edit my last post - it’s been a very long day dealing with contractors.

Appreciate the light touch 😉  

[smashed]

I full stop hate any intrusion of privacy, but I do have to say this...tons of countries have policies related to sharing of information at border checks, seems USA is wanting to enforce a 'check' prior to arrival. Even Australia can tell you that they're refusing you entry unless you unlock your phone right in front of them and let them have free rein of your device messages/photos. I had a friend experience exactly this SOLELY because he was wearing a shirt that had an American flag on it (veteran). Not kidding, pretty wild situation.

2 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Reminder re the US politics rule. 

I have given some leeway within this thread but don't push it too hard.

This policy, should it come into effect in the manner that has been proposed, will likely have  some potential downsides for many within the international CC industry when it comes to visiting the US. 

Let's see how it plays out. ESTA visas are live for two years. Mine expires 1/4/26. I would be loathe to apply for a new one under the current requirements. 

Couldn't said individual, legally and truthfully, create an additional social media and if it's asked their social media handle, simply give that one? Haha, people will always try to find the loopholes! 

[MrBirdman]

2 hours ago, smashed said:

Couldn't said individual, legally and truthfully, create an additional social media and if it's asked their social media handle, simply give that one? Haha, people will always try to find the loopholes! 

I think the “stick” is that if you’re caught you’ll probably never get a visa again. I feel like it’s easier to just delete your old posts. Unless you are a public figure of some kind they really serve little purpose but to create trouble for you.

[Ford2112]

36 minutes ago, cnov said:

I thought it was a weird thread for you to be laying down in the first place! 

Playing with fire....

😉

[Li Bai]

23 minutes ago, Ford2112 said:

😉

😈

[ha_banos]

Freedom of speech since 1989.

[cnov]

Have I been censored? This is a first for me! 

[ha_banos]

6 hours ago, cnov said:

Have I been censored? This is a first for me! 

Well I don't know if maybe I'll be allowed in after that last post?

[BrightonCorgi]

On 12/12/2025 at 6:57 AM, NYGuido said:

They want to find people critical of the administration so they can argue it's somehow reasonable to deny them entry. Though they also want to see if people post about intending to overstay any entry permissions.

Palantir likely does this for them, already, no?

They are looking to see if people coming into US have mal intent, hate America, plan to be a charge, etc...Plenty of reasons the State Department should deny entry.

[Christophe]

I thought this was already the case, to some extent. ESTA applications already ask you to share your social media profiles. Not that I ever do, except LinkedIn just to put something there. Can I add this forum-account? It's pretty inoffensive compared to my Instagram. lol.

[BrightonCorgi]

Five Eyes already share information and can pre-emptively thwart entry into their respective countries.  

Every country should mandate retina, fingerprint, and DNA sample as a condition for entry. No country is obligated to let anyone in.

[Puros Y Vino]

This also goes for Canada. Border crossings into the US over the past year have nosedived and will continue to do so.