The Trump administration plans to require travelers from more than 40 countries to provide their social media histories from the last five years to enter the U.S., according to a notice published Tuesday in the Federal Register.
The data would be “mandatory” for new entrants to the U.S., who hail from 42 countries that are part of the visa waiver program, according to the notice from Customs and Border Protection.
Residents of the United Kingdom and Germany are among the countries from which visitors do not require visas to visit the U.S., which, according to the notice, could add an extra hurdle for travelers. British citizens and people of other waived countries currently can complete “Electronic System for Travel Authorizations” in lieu of obtaining visas.
Providing social media histories would now be part of the requirements to complete the ESTA, according to the proposal.
The Trump administration has increased restrictions on people entering the U.S., and President Donald Trump ran a campaign that focused on border and immigration crackdowns.
In addition to social media histories, Customs and Border Protection would add other new data collection fields, including email addresses and telephone numbers used in the last five years, as well as the addresses and names of family members, the notice reads.
A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman said the proposal is not final, and it is not clear how applicants would be required to provide their social media.
The U.S. public has 60 days to comment on the proposal, the Federal Register notice reads.
The U.S. next year will host FIFA World Cup events, which are sure to draw fans from around the world, including from the U.K. and other countries where visitors do not require visas.
A Trump administration official told NBC News that while World Cup ticket holders may be fast-tracked, they would still be subject to the same requirements as other travelers.
“The FIFA PASS enables ticket holders in countries that have long wait times to get a priority appointment, but it does not change the visa application process whatsoever,” the official said. “We employ the same vetting process for everyone for national security purposes.”
In June, the State Department announced it was requiring people seeking certain types of visas to enter the U.S. to change their social media profiles to public.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, an advocacy group, called that move unprecedented and said the U.S. restriction was intended to “surveil and suppress foreign students’ social media activity.”
Last week the State Department announced that it would expand an “online presence review” to include H-1B applicants and their dependents.
Since Trump returned to office in January, the State Department has also sought to revoke visas for people in the U.S. who have protested about the war in Gaza.
The Trump administration has also announced plans to clamp down on various forms of legal immigration after an Afghan national was named as the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., last month. The suspect has pleaded not guilty.
CORRECTION (Dec. 10, 4:52 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated who would be affected by the administration’s plan. Travelers from 42 countries would be affected, not all foreign visitors.
