US Proposes Expanded Vetting for Visa Waiver Travelers

U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security have proposed expanding data collection requirements for travelers from 42 countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program, mandating disclosure of social media histories and family details as part of enhanced security screening. The changes, outlined in a notice published Tuesday in the Federal Register, target the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, which allows eligible visitors to enter the United States for stays of up to 90 days without a visa.

Under the proposal, applicants would need to provide their social media identifiers from the past five years, along with phone numbers used in the last five years, email addresses from the past 10 years, and information on family members, including parents, spouses, siblings, and children. This would encompass family members' names, dates and places of birth, residences, and contact details from the last five years. Additional requirements include business phone numbers and emails from the past five and 10 years, respectively, as well as IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos. Biometric data collection would also expand to...