International travelers from dozens of countries -- including Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Japan and South Korea -- could soon be required to provide a raft of personal data and years of social media history to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Five years of social media will be a "mandatory data element" for international visitors to the U.S. from 42 countries the U.S. has deemed among the most secure, according to a proposal officially filed Wednesday by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP), first reported Tuesday evening by The New York Times.
In addition, applicants would have to provide telephone numbers used in the last five years, email addresses used in the last 10 years, IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos, biometric data -- "face, fingerprint, DNA, and iris" -- as well as information about family members, including names, telephone numbers, dates of birth, places of birth and residences.
The proposal applies to tourists from countries on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) -- described by the Department of Homeland Security as "a comprehensive security partnership with many of America's closest allies" -- who can travel to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa as long as they first obtain electronic travel authorization through the CBP.
The CBP's proposal will go through 60 days of public comment, ending February 9, 2026.
Customs and Border Protection did not answer Forbes' inquiry on when the agency expects to begin implementing the proposal.