Citizens of countries traditionally considered low-risk allies of the United States will soon have to provide information about their social media accounts upon arrival in the country. According to plans announced this week by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), travelers from 42 countries, including Germany, Israel, Australia, and Japan, will be subject to the same rigorous scrutiny as the rest of the world. Until now, travelers from these 42 countries enjoyed a visa waiver, meaning they could travel to the United States for up to 90 days without applying for a visa, provided they obtained authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). The new proposals mean that travelers will likely soon be required to share their social media history, phone numbers, and email addresses as part of the travel authorization process. The DHS stated that the proposal, which is reportedly set to take effect on February 8, 2026, unless challenged in court beforehand, stems from President Donald Trump's order that people arriving in the country be "vetted and screened to the fullest extent." This measure follows the State Department's August announcement that all US visa holders would be subject to "ongoing vetting," including on social media. How would the social media verification of travelers work? Travelers will be required to provide their social media usernames and phone numbers used in the past five years, as well as email addresses from the past ten years, on their entry forms. In theory, the US government could only view publicly available information unless it collects additional data directly from social media companies, something that has not been mentioned as a possibility in the documentation. However, It is stated that biometric data and a range of personal data about applicants' family members will be added to the entry requirements where feasible. The logistics of actively monitoring such a large number of accounts raises a number of questions, as David Ellis, a digital behavioral expert at the University of Bath, England, explained to DW. "How are they going to manage all that data? Are they only interested in what you say, or also what you consume?" asks Ellis,who is also a member of the Institute for Digital Security and Behavior. "Most people don't say much online, but it's obvious that we all see online content that we disagree with, or that we're not interested in seeing. So how does the US government distinguish between what is a red flag and what you've simply been shown and watched for three seconds?" What will the US be looking for in tourists' posts? The executive order that led to the proposal cites terrorism concerns as a reason for increasing scrutiny of people from abroad. “The United States must ensure that admitted aliens and aliens already in the United States do not hold hostile attitudes toward their citizens, their culture, their government, their institutions, or their founding principles, and that they do not defend, aid, or abet designated foreign terrorists and other threats to our national security,” the text reads. For Ellis, expressions like “hostile attitudes” are dangerously ambiguous and could be used against people who have liked, watched, or shared something they may not even agree with. "You could look at someone's TikTok history and see that they've watched a video promoting extreme views, but they only watched it for a second. Is that better than if they had watched it for 30 seconds?" I have asked. “From an ethical standpoint, they should provide a justification, but they could simply say, 'We don't like your use of social media,' to make things difficult for people who want to come to the country with good intentions.”

There is no specific reference to what would prevent a person from entering the United States. One clue might lie in the US government's capture and revocation policy, which aims to identify and expel foreigners who violate US law, regardless of the severity of the violation.

The program uses AI-based surveillance tools to monitor foreigners in the US by tracking their presence on social media and at protests.

Legal experts and human rights groups have warned that the program particularly targets people who appear to express support for US-designated terrorist organizations, such as Hamas or Hezbollah, when they advocate for Palestinians. rights. Ellis suspects that, with the new proposal, similar, if not the same, technology will be used for tourists. "The resources needed to manually screen everything are simply impossible to obtain. They will have to use targeted queries. There will be a huge financial and environmental cost, whatever is decided. I wonder how much thought has been given to this and how many 'bad people' will actually be caught," he added.government distinguish between what is a red flag and what you've simply been shown and watched for three seconds?” What will the US be looking for in tourists' posts? The executive order that led to the proposal cites terrorism concerns as a reason for increasing scrutiny of people from abroad. attitudes” are dangerously ambiguous and could be used against people who have liked, watched, or shared something they may not even agree with. “You could look at someone's TikTok history and see that they've watched a video promoting extreme views, but they only watched it for a second. Is that better than if they had watched it for 30 seconds?” I have asked. “From an ethical standpoint, they should provide a justification, but they could simply say, 'We don't like your use of social media,' to make things difficult for people who want to come to the country with good intentions.”

There is no specific reference to what would prevent a person from entering the United States. One clue might lie in the US government's capture and revocation policy, which aims to identify and expel foreigners who violate US law, regardless of the severity of the violation.

The program uses AI-based surveillance tools to monitor foreigners in the US by tracking their presence on social media and at protests.

Legal experts and human rights groups have warned that the program particularly targets people who appear to express support for US-designated terrorist organizations, such as Hamas or Hezbollah, when they advocate for Palestinians. rights. Ellis suspects that, with the new proposal, similar, if not the same, technology will be used for tourists. "The resources needed to manually screen everything are simply impossible to obtain. They will have to use targeted queries. There will be a huge financial and environmental cost, whatever is decided. I wonder how much thought has been given to this and how many 'bad people' will actually be caught,” he added.government distinguish between what is a red flag and what you've simply been shown and watched for three seconds?” What will the US be looking for in tourists' posts? The executive order that led to the proposal cites terrorism concerns as a reason for increasing scrutiny of people from abroad. “The United States must ensure that aliens and aliens already in the United States do not hold hostile attitudes toward their citizens, their culture, their government, their institutions, or their founding principles, and that they do not defend, aid, or abet foreign terrorists and other threats to our national security,” the text reads like “hostile.” attitudes” are dangerously ambiguous and could be used against people who have liked, watched, or shared something they may not even agree with. “You could look at someone's TikTok history and see that they've watched a video promoting extreme views, but they only watched it for a second. Is that better than if they had watched it for 30 seconds?” I have asked. “From an ethical standpoint, they should provide a justification, but they could simply say, 'We don't like your use of social media,' to make things difficult for people who want to come to the country with good intentions.”

There is no specific reference to what would prevent a person from entering the United States. One clue might lie in the US government's capture and revocation policy, which aims to identify and expel foreigners who violate US law, regardless of the severity of the violation.

The program uses AI-based surveillance tools to monitor foreigners in the US by tracking their presence on social media and at protests.

Legal experts and human rights groups have warned that the program particularly targets people who appear to express support for US-designated terrorist organizations, such as Hamas or Hezbollah, when they advocate for Palestinians. rights. Ellis suspects that, with the new proposal, similar, if not the same, technology will be used for tourists. "The resources needed to manually screen everything are simply impossible to obtain. They will have to use targeted queries. There will be a huge financial and environmental cost, whatever is decided. I wonder how much thought has been given to this and how many 'bad people' will actually be caught,” he added.Expressions like “hostile attitudes” are dangerously ambiguous and could be used against people who have liked, watched, or shared something they may not even agree with. "You could look at someone's TikTok history and see that they've watched a video promoting extreme views, but they only watched it for a second. Is that better than if they had watched it for 30 seconds?" I have asked. “From an ethical standpoint, they should provide a justification, but they could simply say, 'We don't like your use of social media,' to make things difficult for people who want to come to the country with good intentions.”

There is no specific reference to what would prevent a person from entering the United States. One clue might lie in the US government's capture and revocation policy, which aims to identify and expel foreigners who violate US law, regardless of the severity of the violation.

The program uses AI-based surveillance tools to monitor foreigners in the US by tracking their presence on social media and at protests.

Legal experts and human rights groups have warned that the program particularly targets people who appear to express support for US-designated terrorist organizations, such as Hamas or Hezbollah, when they advocate for Palestinians. rights. Ellis suspects that, with the new proposal, similar, if not the same, technology will be used for tourists. "The resources needed to manually screen everything are simply impossible to obtain. They will have to use targeted queries. There will be a huge financial and environmental cost, whatever is decided. I wonder how much thought has been given to this and how many 'bad people' will actually be caught," he added.Expressions like “hostile attitudes” are dangerously ambiguous and could be used against people who have liked, watched, or shared something they may not even agree with. "You could look at someone's TikTok history and see that they've watched a video promoting extreme views, but they only watched it for a second. Is that better than if they had watched it for 30 seconds?" I have asked. “From an ethical standpoint, they should provide a justification, but they could simply say, 'We don't like your use of social media,' to make things difficult for people who want to come to the country with good intentions.”

There is no specific reference to what would prevent a person from entering the United States. One clue might lie in the US government's capture and revocation policy, which aims to identify and expel foreigners who violate US law, regardless of the severity of the violation.

The program uses AI-based surveillance tools to monitor foreigners in the US by tracking their presence on social media and at protests.

Legal experts and human rights groups have warned that the program particularly targets people who appear to express support for US-designated terrorist organizations, such as Hamas or Hezbollah, when they advocate for Palestinians. rights. Ellis suspects that, with the new proposal, similar, if not the same, technology will be used for tourists. "The resources needed to manually screen everything are simply impossible to obtain. They will have to use targeted queries. There will be a huge financial and environmental cost, whatever is decided. I wonder how much thought has been given to this and how many 'bad people' will actually be caught," he added.when they advocate for Palestinian rights. Ellis suspects that, with the new proposal, similar, if not the same, technology will be used for tourists. "The resources needed to manually screen everything are simply impossible to obtain. They will have to use targeted queries. There will be a huge financial and environmental cost, whatever is decided. I wonder how much thought has been given to this and how many 'bad people' will actually be caught," he added.when they advocate for Palestinian rights. Ellis suspects that, with the new proposal, similar, if not the same, technology will be used for tourists. "The resources needed to manually screen everything are simply impossible to obtain. They will have to use targeted queries. There will be a huge financial and environmental cost, whatever is decided. I wonder how much thought has been given to this and how many 'bad people' will actually be caught," he added.

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