U.S. may require tourists to disclose social media history to customs

U.S. authorities are planning to require foreign tourists from visa-exempt countries, including Japan, Australia and South Korea, to disclose five years of their social media history when they apply for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) online.

According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) filing on Wednesday, the proposal responds to a January executive order, which targets terrorism and national security and aims to “ensure that all aliens … are vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.”

It outlines a more onerous application process, which also requires individuals’ telephone numbers, email addresses, IP addresses and metadata of submitted photos, family member names, contact details and dates of birth, as well biometric details to be submitted.