US border checks on visitors' social media raise concerns over free speech
The Trump administration's plan to require visa applicants from dozens of countries to provide their social media history has sparked widespread criticism over what critics describe as "censorship pure and simple".
Under the new rule, which will apply to visitors from 42 countries, including the UK, Ireland, Australia, France, Germany, and Japan, travellers will be asked to provide five years' worth of social media posts, telephone numbers used in the last five years, and email addresses used in the last decade as part of their Esta visa application.
Critics say this is an "outrageous demand" that could lead to self-censorship among visitors, fearing they may be unfairly judged based on their online activity. The Index on Censorship chief executive, Jemimah Steinfeld, warned that the policy would lead to people being "predicated on being nice about the president", chilling free speech.
Amnesty International UK described the plan as "wildly out of proportion" and said it was a worrying trend in border control. Matthew Feeney from Big Brother Watch called it an example of the Trump administration's enthusiasm for "shredding civil liberties".
Human Rights Watch has also condemned the move, saying that it would "violate fundamental free speech and expression rights". The group's director, Minky Worden, described it as an "outrageous demand" that had no place in the US.
The European Commission remains tight-lipped on how it will handle this new rule. Meanwhile, experts are warning of potential consequences for tourism to the US, including the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
Critics are also questioning the practicality of such a check. Jeremy Bradley, an expert on privacy and cryptography, argued that treating someone's online history as a permanent record of their beliefs was wrong. "Personal choice and freedom of expression shouldn't be sacrificed in the name of surveillance", he said.
The move has sparked darkly comic responses from social media users, including one tweet saying that Trump's idea of making visitors provide their social media history was a step beyond China's own plans for tourists.
The Trump administration's plan to require visa applicants from dozens of countries to provide their social media history has sparked widespread criticism over what critics describe as "censorship pure and simple".
Under the new rule, which will apply to visitors from 42 countries, including the UK, Ireland, Australia, France, Germany, and Japan, travellers will be asked to provide five years' worth of social media posts, telephone numbers used in the last five years, and email addresses used in the last decade as part of their Esta visa application.
Critics say this is an "outrageous demand" that could lead to self-censorship among visitors, fearing they may be unfairly judged based on their online activity. The Index on Censorship chief executive, Jemimah Steinfeld, warned that the policy would lead to people being "predicated on being nice about the president", chilling free speech.
Amnesty International UK described the plan as "wildly out of proportion" and said it was a worrying trend in border control. Matthew Feeney from Big Brother Watch called it an example of the Trump administration's enthusiasm for "shredding civil liberties".
Human Rights Watch has also condemned the move, saying that it would "violate fundamental free speech and expression rights". The group's director, Minky Worden, described it as an "outrageous demand" that had no place in the US.
The European Commission remains tight-lipped on how it will handle this new rule. Meanwhile, experts are warning of potential consequences for tourism to the US, including the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
Critics are also questioning the practicality of such a check. Jeremy Bradley, an expert on privacy and cryptography, argued that treating someone's online history as a permanent record of their beliefs was wrong. "Personal choice and freedom of expression shouldn't be sacrificed in the name of surveillance", he said.
The move has sparked darkly comic responses from social media users, including one tweet saying that Trump's idea of making visitors provide their social media history was a step beyond China's own plans for tourists.
US is taking online censorship to the next level now. Visitors have to share 5 yrs of social media posts? Like what's wrong with people these days? Can't we just enjoy a cuppa without some govt official judging us? 
This is gonna lead to people self-censoring big time, and that's not cool. And let's be real, the Trump admin is all about surveillance anyway... this is just another way for them to spy on ppl 
. It feels like they're just trying to control every single aspect of people's lives and what they say online is so private, you know? 
. I think it's super unfair that people are being asked to provide five years' worth of social media posts... like, who even checks all that? 
. It's literally censorship pure and simple 
. I don't think this is the right way to go about border control at all... like, can't we just focus on who we are instead of what we say online? 
. This feels like a slippery slope, you know? Next thing you know, they'll be asking for our phone records and browsing history too... 
.
... like, what even is the point of checking social media history? Can't they just look at your passport and stuff? 
It sounds like the US government is getting a bit too big for its britches with this one... I mean, don't get me wrong, it's gotta be hard to keep track of all that info, but do we really need to know what you posted on Facebook five years ago? 
, like its such a big deal to be asked to share ur online activity? Its not like they're asking u to spill ur deepest secrets or anything 
. And yeah, I get whats worrying about freedom of speech and all that, but come on, its just social media posts, right? 
They can't seriously think that someone's entire worldview is gonna be judged by a bunch of tweets from 5 yrs ago 
. I mean, we're living in a time where ppl are like "oh no, another controversy!" without even thinking about the bigger picture 
.
. I mean, can you imagine if everyone had to turn over their DMs and posts from years ago? It's like they're trying to regulate your thoughts and feelings, and that's just not right 
. Free speech is important, and we should be protecting it, not trying to police people's thoughts and feelings 
.
US is already super strict on immigration 
5 years of social media posts? who checks them? 
what if i say something against trump and he comes after me? 
this is like they're trying to create a surveillance state 
tourism is already suffering because of this 
dont forget the world cup is coming up in 2026 
we cant have visitors being afraid to come and enjoy the US because of their social media 
this is crazy stuff 
think about it, they wanna know what you post on the internet for 5 whole years 
and they'll use that info to decide if u can visit america? 
that sounds like censorship to me 
gotta wonder how this will play out in practice, like Jeremy Bradley said, its all about surveillance and being judged for ur opinions 
. Like, what's next? Checking our email history from 10 years ago just for kicks? It's wild that experts are warning about potential consequences for tourism too - who needs that kind of stress when you're trying to enjoy a trip abroad? 
. I mean, what if someone had a bad day and posted something they didn't mean to share online? They'd be "flagged" for life 
. You're not gonna catch any terrorists with this kind of thing.
