U.S. Plans to Scale Back on Collecting All Travelers’ Social Media

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is looking to soften its proposal for more stringent social media vetting, with more details not expected until the fall.

The initial proposed rule, which was announced in December, would require tourists applying for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) to provide five years' worth of social media information before entering the U.S.

“We’re working through incorporating feedback from the comments we’ve received to adjust the proposal,” said Matt Davies, an executive director at CBP's office of field operations. “We understand that there are concerns about and collecting the extensive amount of data we originally outlined from all travelers under the ESTA, the Visa Waiver Program."

Davies said CBP may scale back the proposal so that only “certain populations” are required to answer additional questions based on “risk assessment.” He dec