Australians travelling to the US could soon be forced to disclose up to five years of social media history to enter the country under strict new rules proposed by the Trump administration.
The proposal would apply to Australian, British and French citizens, as well as the the 39 other nations who are eligible for visa-exempt travel to the US under the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ETSA) program.
Citizens of those countries can travel to the US for both business and tourism for up to 90 days without a visa.
However a proposal document filed by US Customs and Border Protection reveals the government agency intends to require ESTA applicants to “provide their social media from the last five years”.
The document did not contain more explicit details of what that might mean.
Visitors using ETSA are currently asked for personal details including passport details, birthdates and criminal record documents and a USD$40 one-off payment.
The document – filed to the Federal Register, the US government’s official journal – also proposed collecting visitors’ phone numbers and email addresses over the last five and ten years, respectively, “when feasible”.
The CBP said its intention was to comply with an executive order from the Trump Administration.
US President Donald Trump in January signed off an order titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats”.
