US to investigate tourists’ social media history over the past five years

The United States plans to impose social media checks on some tourists as President Donald Trump continues to tighten travel restrictions on foreign travelers.

Tourists, including those from the United Kingdom, Australia, France and Japan, will be required to submit a five-year social media history as part of their application to visit the United States, according to a notice posted Wednesday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The proposal, which has received a 60-day notice for public comment, is not final and is subject to some amendments.

Tourists from countries included in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program can apply for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for a $40 fee for stays of 90 days or less. Social media checks will form a “required data element” as part of the ESTA application.

Border Force said it would also collect “several high-value data fields” including the applicant’s email address for the past 10 years, phone numbers used for the past five years, and names and details of family members.

In addition to social media checks, applicants are also expected to upload a “selfie,” which CBP says will improve the vetting process and better identify whether a person is the rightful owner of the documents used to secure ESTA authorization.

The plan adds to a series of measures President Trump has taken in recent months to restrict the movement of foreign tourists after a man from Afghanistan was accused of fatally shooting two National Guardsmen near the White House.

At the time, the president criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, for admitting “millions of people” and said he would tighten immigration controls, including “permanently” halting all immigration from “Third World countries.”

Just recently, the Trump administration announced it would expand its travel ban to more than 30 countries. The travel ban, originally announced in June, previously barred travel to the United States from 12 countries and restricted entry from seven others. Some of the countries included include Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, Haiti, etc.

“If they don’t have a stable government there, if they don’t have a country that can maintain their own country and tell us who these people are and help us vet them, then why should we allow people from that country to come here to the United States?” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at the time.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has not yet responded to a request for comment from CNBC.