Two Democratic senators on Friday urged the Trump administration to abandon a proposal to require millions of foreign visitors to provide social media handles used over the past five years.
US President Donald Trump looks on during an event with military members and their families at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on February 13, 2026. (AFP)US Customs and Border Protection’s proposed policy would require travelers from visa waiver program countries to submit social media data.
“By forcing travelers to disclose their personal social media information, CBP will subject people who simply want to visit family in the U.S., conduct business with U.S. companies or attend events like the upcoming World Cup to digital surveillance,” said Senators Ed Markey and Ron Wyden.
“No doubt many Americans would be outraged if countries like Great Britain, France or Australia imposed similar policies on American tourists.”
The Department of Homeland Security had no immediate comment. In December, the department said the proposal could take effect as early as this month.
Earlier, a group representing the US travel and tourism industry warned that the proposal could have a “chilling effect” on travel to the US. “If we get this policy wrong, millions of travelers could take their businesses and spend the billions of dollars they spend elsewhere, only weakening America,” the US Travel Association said.
Applicants for immigrant and nonimmigrant visas will be required to share that information beginning in 2019.
Washington has taken steps to tighten screening of foreigners, stemming from an executive order Trump issued in January 2025 calling for the “highest degree of vetting and screening” of visitors to the United States.
The visa waiver program allows travelers from 42 countries, mostly from Europe, to visit the United States for 90 days without a visa. They must fill out an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) form, which will require a social media handle to change.
The United States is considering requiring all email addresses used in the past 10 years and the names, dates of birth, residences and birthplaces of parents, siblings, children and spouses.
The US State Department said in December that it would require all H-1B applicants and their dependents to adjust the privacy settings of all their social media profiles to “public” so the department can review social media posts by applicants.
