- CBP plans to limit social media screening to specific high-risk travelers instead of all ESTA applicants.
- No new social media requirements will take effect before the FIFA World Cup 2026 starting in June.
- The proposed waterfall model adjusts data requests based on the traveler’s initial answers during the ESTA process.
(FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection is reviewing a narrower plan to collect social media histories from some Visa Waiver Program travelers, shifting away from a proposal that would have applied the requirement to all ESTA applicants.
Matt Davies, Executive Director at CBP’s Office of Field Operations, said during the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW 2026 conference in Fort Lauderdale that the agency is considering what he called a more selective screening model. “It’s not focused on everyone. [We are considering] a waterfall approach, in which the level of social media information requested would depend on the answers provided by the traveler as they move through the ESTA form.”
Davies also said no new social media requirements will take effect before or during the FIFA World Cup 2026, which begins in June. Implementation is not expected until late 2026 at the earliest.
The change under review marks a pullback from the Department of Homeland Security’s initial proposal published in the Federal Register on December 10, 2025. That notice, listed as 90 FR 57208, would have expanded the information collected through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, the online system used by travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries before boarding U.S.-bound flights or ships.
Davies said CBP is reviewing about 2,000 public comments submitted on that proposal. After that review, the agency plans to publish a follow-up federal notice and open a second public-comment period before establishing any final rule.
Under the approach now under discussion, not every traveler would face the same questions. The level of information requested would rise or fall based on answers provided during the ESTA process, limiting broader data collection to applicants flagged by initial responses.
That would leave the underlying list of possible data points intact for higher-risk cases while reducing how often the government asks for them. The items under consideration include social media usernames or handles used during the previous 5 years, email addresses used over the past 10 years, and phone numbers from the past 5 years.
DHS is also considering family information, including the names, dates of birth, and residences of parents, spouses, and siblings. Another element under consideration is a selfie, a facial photograph uploaded through the ESTA website or mobile app, to verify identity against passport data.
The policy review sits inside a broader push for tighter screening ordered by the Trump administration. Executive Order 14161, issued in January 2025, mandates “maximum degree” vetting for all foreign nationals.
Within that framework, the waterfall model appears to offer a compromise between security demands and concerns raised by the travel industry. A universal requirement for every Visa Waiver Program applicant drew criticism from industry groups that warned it would slow travel and discourage some visitors from choosing the United States.
The U.S. Travel Association estimated that a blanket social media mandate could deter 1.8 million visitors annually. CBP’s revised direction aims to reduce that friction by asking for expanded digital histories only when an applicant’s answers trigger additional scrutiny.
Most travelers from the 42 countries in the Visa Waiver Program would see no immediate change under the current timeline. The program covers countries including the UK, Germany, France, Japan, and Australia, and travelers from those countries still use ESTA rather than applying for a traditional visitor visa in most short-term cases.
The Department of Homeland Security maintains the program’s core rules on its Visa Waiver Program requirements page. Those rules govern who can travel without a visa for eligible short stays, while CBP manages inspection and admission at U.S. ports of entry.
Travelers who are not eligible for the Visa Waiver Program already face stricter vetting. Nonimmigrant visa applicants, including H-1B, F-1, and J-1 applicants, became subject to an expanded “online presence” review as of March 30, 2026.
Under that State Department policy, applicants must set their social media profiles to “public” or “open” to facilitate vetting. The department announced that expansion on March 25, 2026 in its expanded screening and vetting notice.
The contrast matters for how the U.S. government is drawing lines between visa-free visitors and travelers who already go through consular screening. Visa Waiver Program applicants have historically faced a lighter pre-travel process than people applying for student, work, or exchange visas, even though both groups are screened by different parts of the national security system.
Davies’ comments in Fort Lauderdale offered the clearest public sign yet that CBP does not plan to apply the broadest version of the 2025 proposal in the near term. His remarks also gave the travel industry a firm marker before one of the biggest international events on the U.S. calendar, the World Cup, when inbound passenger volumes are expected to rise.
CBP has not dropped the proposal outright. The agency is still working through the comments filed after the original notice, which appears in the Federal Register as Agency Information Collection Activities; Revision; ESTA.
That review process leaves months before any new requirement could begin, even if DHS decides to proceed. Davies said implementation is not expected before late 2026, and the planned second comment period means the government still has at least one more formal round of public input ahead.
The debate has exposed a familiar split inside U.S. border policy. Security agencies want more data earlier in the process, while airlines, destination marketers, and tourism officials want to avoid new steps that could turn a quick digital authorization into a longer screening exercise.
Brand USA, the marketing organization that promotes travel to the United States, has responded with a public campaign titled “Get Facts. Get Going.”, reflecting industry concern that confusion over entry rules can deter travelers even before any regulation takes effect. That concern has become sharper as the United States prepares to host global sports events that depend on fast, predictable entry procedures.
For now, the practical result is a pause rather than a rollout. Travelers using ESTA for summer 2026 trips, including those tied to the World Cup, will not face new social media disclosure rules, while U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security continue to reshape how far that vetting should reach.
