by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 10:00 AM ET, Mon December 15, 2025
The U.S. Travel Association is responding to the Trump Administration’s proposed changes to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) application, which would require international visitors wanting to visit the United States, including those from Visa Waiver Program countries, to provide five years of their social media history.
The statement reads, “We are deeply concerned by the recent announcement by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that it may seek social media history from Visa Waiver Program travelers to the United States. And without more detail from CBP, there are legitimate questions from travelers about what information they might need to provide, and from security experts as to whether this policy would meaningfully increase America’s security. One thing that isn’t in question: this policy could have a chilling effect on travel to the United States.
“Visa Waiver Program travelers come here to do deals with American businesses, buy American products and experience the beauty of our great nation. If we get this policy wrong, millions of travelers could take their business and the billions of dollars they spend elsewhere, only making America weaker…”
The new proposed changes would go into effect for both travelers who need a visitor visa, such as travelers from Mexico, along with those who live in countries that are part of the nation’s Visa Waiver Program, which allows for visa-free travel.
Yet the proposed change to requirements gets even more invasive: it may require sensitive personal information including social media history, a traveler’s family’s personal information, plus the traveler’s own DNA and other biometric data.
If implemented, the new changes might have a dramatically chilling effect on international travel to the United States, as travelers who believe that their beliefs, social media presence and DNA should have no part in determining whether they can enter a foreign country for travel would simply seek out more welcoming countries to visit instead of providing such information to the United States.
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