The US plans to order foreign tourists to disclose their social media histories

The administration of US President Donald Trump plans to require visa-exempt foreign tourists to disclose their social media history over the past five years before entering the country, according to an official notice.

The proposal outlined in a notice published Tuesday in the Federal Register would apply to tourists from 42 countries, including Britain, France, Australia, and Japan, who do not need a visa to enter the United States.

Currently, those visitors only need to apply for a waiver known as the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which still requires them to provide certain personal details.

Under the proposed new rules, the collection of social media data would become a “mandatory” part of ESTA applications.

Applicants would need to provide their social media accounts from the last five years, according to the notice.

They would also have to submit other “high-value data fields,” including phone numbers from the last five years, email addresses from the past decade, personal details of family members, and biometric information.

The public has 60 days to comment on the proposal.

The Trump government has tightened curbs on entering the United States, part of a sweeping crackdown on migration.

Along with Mexico and Canada, the country will host the 2026 World Cup, which is certain to attract large numbers of soccer fans from across the world.

Fact-check group ‘deeply concerned’ over US visa curbs

Separately, the International Fact-Checking Network said it is “deeply concerned” by reports that the US State Department instructed staff to deny visas to people who have worked in fact-checking and content moderation.

“This work strengthens public debate – it does not censor it,” the organisation said in a statement. “It is protected within the United States by the First Amendment [of the Constitution], and the US has long supported similar press freedoms internationally.”

Agence France-Presse is a member of the IFCN.

The statement on Tuesday came days after the State Department reportedly sent a memo instructing staff vetting H-1B visas for highly skilled workers to reject applicants involved in the “censorship” of free speech.

The memo reportedly directs consular officers to explore applicants’ work histories for activities such as combating misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, and trust and security.

State Department officials have not denied the existence of the memo.

The IFCN said it was “troubled” by the implications of the memo for those whose work “protects children from exploitation, prevents fraud and scams, and combats coordinated harassment”.

“A free press and an informed public are foundational to democracy,” the group added. “Policies that treat the pursuit of accuracy as a disqualifying activity send a chilling message to journalists and others worldwide.”