(UNITED STATES) The U.S. travel industry is pushing back against a proposed Department of Homeland Security rule that would make many short trips to the country feel more like a high-stakes background check, by requiring visitors who use the Visa Waiver Program to hand over five years of social media history, along with past emails and family contact details, through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization.
The proposal, published in the Federal Register on December 10, 2025, would expand the data collected as part of revisions tied to Form I-94 arrivals and departures. DHS has framed the plan as part of tighter national security vetting under a Trump executive order, arguing that collecting more identifiers can help spot risks among travelers who enter for tourism or business and stay up to 90 days without getting a visa.
Why the travel industry objects
Travel groups say the timing could not be worse. The United States 🇺🇸 is preparing to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada 🇨🇦 and Mexico, and the industry fears extra screening questions could chill demand just as airlines, hotels, tour operators, and local businesses hope for a surge of international visitors.
The U.S. Travel Association—which represents a wide range of travel companies—has “raised red flags” about adding new barriers for privacy-conscious travelers and about the rule arriving while the sector is still trying to rebuild after the pandemic.
Industry leaders warn that even a small drop in arrivals from Visa Waiver Program countries could hit hard because these travelers tend to:
- Spend more per visit
- Fly long-haul routes
- Be flexible about destination choices
They point to major source markets such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Israel, and New Zealand, saying travelers from these places may decide to go elsewhere if the U.S. entry process feels intrusive or unpredictable.
What the DHS proposal would change
At the center of the dispute is the Visa Waiver Program, which lets travelers from 42 countries visit the United States 🇺🇸 for short stays without applying for a visitor visa. Those travelers still must get pre-approval through ESTA (the Electronic System for Travel Authorization) before boarding a plane or ship.
Under the DHS proposal, ESTA applicants would be asked for:
- Social media identifiers from the last five years
- Past email addresses
- Family contact details
- Other “high-value data elements” critics say go beyond typical expectations for vacation or business travel
Supporters of the DHS approach say social media checks can help confirm identity and spot warning signs that might not appear in standard biographic information.
Timeline, public comment, and potential implementation
Because the plan is still a proposal, it is not in force yet. Key procedural points:
- DHS is taking public comments on the proposal.
- The rule would then go through a 30-day review by the Office of Management and Budget.
- Based on reported timelines, the earliest implementation would be no sooner than March 2026.
Important: Travelers planning trips in early 2026 may face uncertainty about what ESTA will ask for by the time they travel.
How this ties to Form I-94 and existing systems
The rule is presented as a change to data collection connected to I-94, the record used to track arrivals and departures. Readers can find the government’s general I-94 information and links to official services at U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s page for Form I-94.
While Visa Waiver Program travelers do not complete the same paper process many other visitors remember, the proposal ties the expanded ESTA questions to broader border data needs.
Practical issues for travelers
Social media history is not always clean or straightforward:
- People change usernames, abandon accounts, or use different handles across platforms.
- Applicants may have inactive or private accounts that are difficult to document.
- Deleting content right before travel could create inconsistencies if asked to disclose past identifiers.
Reports on the proposal advise travelers from affected countries to:
- Monitor ESTA updates
- Keep track of current and past usernames
- Consider how public posts might be read by an official reviewer
Privacy, security, and free-speech concerns
Privacy advocates warn that the proposal could:
- Chill online speech by pressuring people to self-censor
- Raise serious data security questions: who can access stored identifiers, how long data are retained, and what happens if systems are breached
Supporters counter that broader access to social media data can be a useful tool for identity confirmation and threat detection.
Scale and precedent
This proposal is part of a wider move toward online screening across U.S. immigration systems. Social media reviews have already been used in visa processing for some student and work visa categories, with reports indicating those reviews were expanded as of December 15, 2025 for several visa types.
The difference now is scale: applying similar checks to the Visa Waiver Program could pull a far larger number of ordinary tourists and business visitors into a deeper disclosure system.
Economic stakes
The industry’s objections are largely economic: fewer visitors would mean fewer hotel nights, fewer restaurant meals, fewer tour bookings, and fewer convention trips. Even modest declines could translate into billions in lost revenue, according to industry analysis.
Analysis by VisaVerge.com suggests the debate is likely to intensify as the 2026 World Cup approaches and travel planners finalize routes, staffing, and pricing.
What’s missing from public reporting
Current reporting leaves gaps that matter for public understanding:
- No on-the-record quotes from named U.S. Travel Association officials are included in available articles.
- There are no personal accounts from individual travelers describing how the proposed social media collection would change their plans.
This gap is significant because ESTA is used by:
- Families visiting relatives
- Couples planning holidays
- Small-business owners flying in for meetings
These are ordinary people who may not consider themselves part of a national security debate until a form asks for years of online identifiers and private contacts.
Key takeaways
- The DHS proposal (published December 10, 2025) would require Visa Waiver travelers to disclose five years of social media history and other identifiers via ESTA.
- The rule is still a proposal; public comments are open and an OMB 30-day review would follow. Earliest possible implementation is no sooner than March 2026.
- The travel industry warns of economic harm, and privacy advocates warn of speech and security risks. Travelers should monitor ESTA guidance and document relevant account identifiers.
For official I-94 information and services, see U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s page for Form I-94.
DHS proposed on Dec. 10, 2025, that Visa Waiver travelers submit five years of social media history, past emails, and family contacts through ESTA to strengthen security for stays up to 90 days. The travel industry warns the expanded checks could deter visitors—especially ahead of the 2026 World Cup—harming hotels, airlines, and tourism revenue. The rule is open for public comment and requires a 30-day OMB review; earliest implementation is no sooner than March 2026.
