If the Trump administration gets its way, visitors to the United States would have to submit their social media activity from the past five years as well as DNA samples.
On Dec. 10, the administration unveiled proposed changes to U.S. travel policy, expanding the data collection powers of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Privacy International reports. If approved after a 60-day consultation, travelers could be required to use a U.S. government mobile app, provide social media accounts from the past five years, email addresses for themselves and family members from the past 10 years, and submit DNA samples.
An 11-page notice published in the Federal Register details several proposed changes by CBP to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which screens and approves travelers entering the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program. Under the proposed rules, social media would become a mandatory part of ESTA applications, requiring a five-year history for applicants. “High-value data fields” were also added, such as biometrics, including facial scans, fingerprints, iris data, and even DNA.
Travelers will also be required to use two CBP apps: ‘CBP Home’ and the ‘ESTA Mobile App,’ as the ESTA website is being phased out. The app will collect biometric proof of departure to “close the information gap” and will share the user’s location after leaving the U.S.
Following the Department of Homeland Security’s November announcement to collect facial biometrics from all noncitizens upon U.S. entry and exit, eliminating previous exemptions, the new rules require applicants, including those applying through third parties, to submit a “selfie” in addition to their passport photo.
If approved, the policy would affect all current visa-free travelers. For the estimated 14 million annual ESTA visitors, CBP estimates it would take about 22 minutes to submit information for themselves and their family members. Despite no mobile device currently capable of collecting DNA, the Trump administration remains determined to enforce the requirement.
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