The U.S. Travel Association is warning that a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) proposal to begin collecting five years’ worth of social media information from travellers from select countries who do not have to get visas to come to the U.S. will scare potential visitors away and severely damage the U.S. travel industry.
The notice of possible changes to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) application process was published last week in the Federal Register and said that CBP would start requesting a list of other information, including telephone numbers the person has used over the past five years, or email addresses used over the past decade.
Also sought would be metadata from electronically submitted photos, as well as extensive information from the applicant’s family members, including their places of birth and their telephone numbers.
The application that people are now required to fill out to take part in ESTA asks for a more limited set of questions such as parents’ names and current email address.
“We are deeply concerned by the recent announcement by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that it may seek social media history from Visa Waiver Program travellers to the United States. And without more detail from CBP, there are legitimate questions from travellers about what information they might need to provide, and from security experts as to whether this policy would meaningfully increase America’s security. One thing that isn’t in question: this policy could have a chilling effect on travel to the United States,” said the USTA in a statement.
It added, “Visa Waiver Program travellers come here to do deals with American businesses, buy American products and experience the beauty of our great nation. If we get this policy wrong, millions of travellers could take their business and the billions of dollars they spend elsewhere, only making America weaker.”
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