The Trump administration is moving forward with a proposal that would require foreign tourists from nearly 40 countries to provide five years of their social-media history as part of an expanded security screening process. The plan, published in the Federal Register, comes at a time when the US has also postponed H-1B visa interviews in India, citing increased scrutiny of applicants' online activity. According to the Department of Homeland Security, US Customs and Border Protection will make social media a mandatory data field for travellers entering under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which allows short-term stays of up to 90 days for nationals of select countries after pre-screening through the ESTA system.
The rule applies to visitors from most European nations, along with countries such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Israel, Qatar, and Chile. In addition to social-media details, applicants will also be required to share email addresses, phone numbers used over the past five years, and information about family members. While these rules do not directly affect Indian travellers—because India is not part of the VWP—the US has already imposed similar requirements on many visa categories commonly used by Indians, including tourist, student, and work visas.
The US has steadily expanded digital-vetting measures across its immigration system. Earlier this year, the State Department required student visa applicants to make their social-media profiles public. The US Embassy in India also mandated that applicants disclose all social-media usernames used during the past five years, warning that any omission could lead to visa denial and future ineligibility. More recently, the State Department extended “online presence reviews” to include H-1B applicants and their dependents, prompting the embassy to delay scheduled interviews and causing disruption for hundreds of Indian professionals.
Global travellers may face additional complications as the US prepares to host major international events, including FIFA World Cup matches next year and the 2028 Summer Olympics. Increased screening could affect visitors from visa-waiver countries planning to attend these events. The proposal reflects the Trump administration’s broader push to tighten immigration controls and enhance security checks, a stance reinforced after incidents such as the Washington, DC, shooting involving an Afghan national. The public now has 60 days to comment on the proposed rule before it moves closer to implementation.
