December 10, 2025
Passport, please. And your memes
US could ask foreign tourists for five-year social media history before entry
Show us your posts? Tourists balk; commenters ask: what if you have no socials
TLDR: The U.S. may require visa‑waiver tourists to submit five years of social media on their ESTA application. Comments rage over privacy, practicality for people with no accounts, and “national security” justifications, with jokes about TSA scrolling Instagram as fans brace for World Cup travel headaches.
America’s latest border twist has the comment section on fire: officials want tourists from visa‑waiver countries to share five years of social media as part of the ESTA (the online travel OK) — plus old phone numbers, emails, and more family info. With a World Cup coming and the LA Olympics ahead, the timing has everyone asking if the TSA is about to scroll their Instagram at the gate. One crowd is furious, branding it privacy theater — “national security” is the magic phrase that lets any rule slide, they argue. Another crowd shrugs: if safety is the goal, screening is the job of officers, not travelers handing over their digital diaries. The minimalist meme of the day? A blunt “no thanks.” Practical minds jump in too: what if you don’t have social media at all? Will you be flagged or fine? Meanwhile, jokers imagine ESTA asking for your top MySpace friends and high‑school email. Some see this as an expansion of student and worker visa checks; others fear a slippery slope where your posts become a passport stamp. The vibe? Half Big Brother, half “good luck with that,” with a side of World Cup chaos if fans get stuck at login.
Key Points
- •US proposes requiring ESTA applicants to provide five years of social media history.
- •CBP and DHS filed the proposal, reported as appearing in the Federal Register; BBC requested comment.
- •Additional data sought includes phone numbers (last five years), email addresses (last ten years), and more family information.
- •The proposal cites a Trump executive order on protecting the US from foreign terrorists and public safety threats.
- •Prior policies already require social media disclosure for student and H1B visas; travel bans affecting 19 countries may be expanded.