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US-bound tourists from 42 countries, including Singapore, may be asked for 5-year social media history
Travellers from 42 countries, including Singapore, which are under the visa waiver programme could soon be asked for their five-year social media history before entry.
PHOTO: Reuters file
PUBLISHED ONDecember 11, 2025 6:04 PM
BYSean Ler
US-bound travellers from 42 countries under the visa waiver programme — including Singapore — could be asked to provide their social media history over the last five years as a condition for entry under a new proposal unveiled by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Other than Singapore, some of the 41 other countries in the visa waiver programme include: Australia, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, South Korea, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Under the programme, citizens from the 42 countries are currently allowed — for the purpose of tourism or business — stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.
AsiaOne reviewed the notice published in the Federal Register, the official journal of the US government, on Wednesday (Dec 10).
In the notice, social media history was proposed as a "mandatory data element" for an electronic system for travel authorisation (ESTA) application.
DHS and the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) did not elaborate in the notice what details are required, except that the data element will require ESTA applicants to "provide their social media from the last five years".
Other than the proposed inclusion of social media history, the CBP is also proposing to add "high value data fields" to the existing ESTA application.
This includes the gathering of an applicant's telephone numbers and email addresses used over the last five and 10 years respectively, and more information about their family members.
In comparison, the existing ESTA requires only personal details such as date of birth and identity number, contact information, travel plans and an application fee of US$40 (S$52).
Asked whether the proposal could lead to an impact on tourism to the US, President Donald Trump said he was not concerned.
"No. We're doing so well.
"We just want people to come here, and safe. We want safety. We want security. We want to make sure we are not letting the wrong people come into our country," the president said in an interview in Washington on Wednesday.
The US public and federal agencies now have 60 days to provide their views regarding the proposed ESTA data collection requirements.
Meanwhile, the US expects a major influx of foreign tourists over the next few years as it co-hosts the World Cup with Canada and Mexico in 2026, and hosts the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The proposed data collection requirement is the latest in a series of measures from the Trump administration aimed at restricting the entry of foreigners.
On Dec 4, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that the US plans to expand the number of countries covered by its travel ban to more than 30.
This follows a proclamation signed by Trump in June to ban the entry of citizens from 12 countries, saying the move was needed to protect the US against "foreign terrorists" and other national security threats.
On Dec 3, the Trump administration also announced the increased vetting of applicants for H-1B visas for highly skilled workers, including reviewing their LinkedIn profiles or resumes.
In May this year, Trump also ordered US missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants.
This was paused temporarily in June after a federal judge blocked the president's administration from implementing his proclamation.
