US demands access to tourists' social media histories
US demands access to tourists' social media histories
US demands access to tourists' social media histories – DW – 12/10/2025

US demands access to tourists' social media histories
US demands access to tourists' social media histories – DW – 12/10/2025

Read between the lines.... 100 billion dollar bailout coming to aid the tourism businesses affected by the new rules..
His hotels...
Just like the farmer bailout due to the losses incurred from the tariffs
To be fair, the farmer bailout is a drop in the bucket of what they're down over lost sales to China and higher fertilizer prices. Like, have the day you voted for and all that, but 12B is 1% of this years military budget.
The only way a fascist wins is with isolationism. DON'T let Trump who only represents 1 in 4 people keep you away. These clowns from Trump all the way down to ICE will all be either spending lengthy jail sentences or fodder for fusillade.
Trying to isolate the country from what used to be our allies, then take away all our rights and turn this degrading shithole into North Korea where the citizens are law bound to kiss their "leaders" ass and pretend it doesn't fucking stink.
krasnov is adhering to PUTINS wishes.
Whether or not the states are being puppeted by Russia holding cards in the form of blackmail, this is exactly the kind of thing they would do to weaken the states
its is the foundation of geopolitics that russia uses.
Shouldn't be hard for anyone from Europe. The EU already wants to monitor all the social media anyway. Plus age restrictions. The Aussie's aren't far behind either. And they have age restrictions now.
Do not visit the US
literally, I let my VISA expire and it was hard because I live on the frontier so I'll miss out on a lot of things but it is not worth it
last time I needed to cross the border I was detained for an extra hour (not counting the queue) just because I didn't cross during the pandemic
fuck the US, fuck fascism
I still remember a trip I took with my parents to Vancouver and Seattle. We are from Brazil.
The difference was night and day, especially the infrastructure, landscape, and the appearance of the people who worked there. Seattle felt much more somber and gray.
The only ones who seemed overtly happy were the waitresses, but since these jobs in the U.S. rely heavily on tips, it felt more like forced role-play to get extra money compared to the more down-to-earth Canadian customer service.
It's amazing how much the US doesn't want you to go there, even if it's just to visit.
Despite all the mediocrity, there are some things to see there, but if that's the authorities' attitude (and this here is not the first example of it), yeah, I think I'll skip.
It’s also to keep people in.
they really don't seem to realize there's an entire world of places out there to see...
If this shit passes, the EU should apply the same rule and when we find a fucking MAGAt, stamp "Entry Denied and Fuck Off!"
As a Canadian, I won't be travelling to the Republic of Gilead anytime soon. That country is becoming worse by the minute.
And since Americans think I'm Latino (I'm not), I don't want to be shipped to El Salvador.
shipped to El Salvador.
I'm white as hell, but with the comments I make on the orange clown I'll be shot into orbit in nothing more than a speedo (only because nudity is for the us a no ! no !! no !!! no !!!! no !!!!! no way)
I'm thinking of visiting Montreal for beer. Crossing North from Vermont.. y'all gonna kick my ass before I can spend that glorious USD $$ ?
You seem to confuse Canadians for Americans.
As a fellow American, we really don’t need any help looking bad at the moment, so you can stop now.
yeah, because tourism is doing so well now, we need more reasons to fuck over the industry
you know its bad when they dont report how tourism is doing in places like florida, texas. its 1-2 punch , anti-immigration policies has probably affected them severely, and the lack of tourism dollars to those welfare states.
No idea about Texas. Other than SXSW, I'm not aware of their tourism.
But for FL, Disney didn't bend the knee hard enough. That's a feature.
Uhhhh, it's more than their social media.
The new proposal would make it "mandatory" for ESTA applicants to provide US authorities with access to five years of their social media activity on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and X.
Visitors will also be required to provide information on what US authorities dub "high-value data fields," meaning all of their phone numbers over the past five years and all of their e-mail addresses over the past 10. Moreover, they will be forced to provide personal details on family members as well as provide their own biometric data.
The proposal was published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, meaning that it will be open for public comment for 60 days, at which point it will become law unless challenged in court.
Checks SimpleLogin account… 230 email aliases to date… gg, I might need a few more pages to note all of those.
What if you're not a 15-year-old girl and therefore don't have TikTok and Instagram are they going to arrest you? What a truly stupid country.
Emails? Wtf?
I was wondering why this ‘five years’ thing popped up now, because I'm pretty sure I've heard of it long ago.
The US was known for ages to be very shady at the borders, like circa fifteen years ago when they detained a security researcher who was travelling to a conference to tell about yet another of NSA's shenanigans: they held him for hours, searched through his devices, and in the end denied entry.
I think that's objectively worse than North Korea, they only check what you have with you as far as I'm aware
This is a shame honestly. I've just remembered about Lucas' narrative art museum.
Been there twice, it was interesting and already shocking in 2008.
You US Americans should visit Europe or live there for a while. Then you can decide to come back or stay but you'll have at least a reference point in your brain that things can be different and maybe that the US isn't the greatest country in the world in all fields.
The EU is fast-tracking the Fourth Reich, so visit it while there's still time.
The US is a third-world country that failed upwards
My favourite description: "US is 50 third world countries in a trench coat".
I dunno, and this sanity check is coming from someone who's visited over a dozen times and loves it there... EU is not all fun and games, they are going to enforce chat control, apparently bowing to pressure on GDPR, has enforced facial recognition to enter, and right wing parties are growing in multiple countries including the big economic houses: Germany, France, UK. We're all over here looking at you folks to show us the way and if you blink in your resolve, you're going to end up where we are.
On a positive note, Drumpf's policies are hitting a wall of awareness, resistance and resolve. Our recent elections are giving some hope. His pedophile protecting tight grip is loosening it's hold as his desperately unpopular and catastrophic policies are forcing "masks off" upping of their rhetoric and abusive policies. This shows their real racist nazi agenda to everyone and it's only dropping their approval. We're worried they will cook the books next November, but the hope is we can reign in the insanity and undo the damage in the coming decade. It's going to take that long and we will need to start with our dear friends in Canada).
Right-wing is code for not being part of the ruling party block.
The EU is now talking about doing what the US was already doing more than a decade ago when Snowden Revelations came out.
And don't get me started on things like the relative ratios of "death by police" and percentage of people in prision (to mention just the things related to the use of force in policing) between America and Europe.
The EU is at least a decade behind the US in creeping autoritarianism and a lot of that shit has been imported from the US (including the new style far right, which amongst other things was set-up with money from American billionaires which Steve Bannon brought to Europe years ago very openly to "create far right parties" and is ideologically fed by American money using social media which for example paid Cambridge Analitica to use Facebook to fuel Brexit).
In this turn of the Wheel of History, the equivalent of Nazism is spreading out from America.
Personally I've been boycotting travel to the US or even just with a transfer in the US since the PATRIOT act.
Already over a decade ago I very purposefully chose Canada (highly recommended, by the way) for a month vacationing in North America rather than the US.
The writting has been on the wall for this shit ever since they allowed the TSA to start confiscating traveller's mobile phones and computers way back in Bush's day - the main difference with the current administration compared to the previous ones is that they're open about what they're looking for.
Is this European exceptionalism?
No, I guess Canada and possibly many other countries are similar but I didn't experience them yet.
and maybe that the US isn't the greatest country in the world in all fields.
I think that's why they want our "high value data fields".... ☺️
Is anyone really surprised by the further restrictions on the free speech by the fascist regime?
What surprises me is how much Americans are willing to take or how self-absorbed and blind they are as to what is happening.
First it was illegal immigrants. Then any immigrants. Now legal visitors, not even immigrants. Next it will be citizens, absolutely guaranteed.
They are already being targeted by the ICE and the government is working on plans to label citizens as domestic terrorists if they oppose the president.
But yeah, I'm sure using the ICE whistles and honking at the Nazi police as they abduct your family and friends is gonna solve the problem.
it's so tiring to watch people just not realize the natural progression to all of this, like how can you not see it's gonna be YOU next in a few years when you post on facebook about how you're disappointed about supreme leader trump's tax policy and the secret police show up at your door
My neighbors heads are firmly wedged all the way up their asses. These old fools act like everything is just fine because the boots aren't on their necks yet.
they are kept complacent, because they still have a job that pays moderate or well off where they live off of, plus the propaganda of the media keeping them mostly ignorant.
Don't come here is the message they're sending. The US is closed for business.
Fascism.
With race-based xenophobia.
I am surprised the tourism industry is taking this so well. I mean Trump and company are literally doing anything they can to kill it off.
it comes with the territory. Working in U.S. tourism occaisionally means eating an inordinate amount of shit.
Sounds like taliban/fascist strategy: keep people apart and make everyone hate you so you can then claim you're embattled because everyone rejects you.
They are learning from the Saudis and UAE
So what happens when you truthfully state "I don't use social media"? Or use any that are mainstream?
Seems like a dumb time to me.
You have to prove that you don't have accounts with the usual suspects. So, to prove a negative. And that obviously makes you suspicious. Oh, and Lemmy would be considered to be social media.
Depends on the officer you're dealing with. There's multiple stories, from before Trump ever took office, of people being detained for up to a day for saying this or refusing to grant access to their phone. I can only imagine it's worse now.
Well, that's definitelly going to solve the fall in Tourism problem in the US /s
So fucking annoying of articles to be like "this was published on Tuesday by the federal register and is open for comments" only to not provide a link.
Oh, man. Anyone else remember how Republicans used to threaten to exercise their 2A rights in response to filling out a basic census report?
Yeah. I miss the days when those folks were considered the standard for "Conservative values". They were practically antifa back then.
Turns out the guns were never about defending themselves against an authoritarian government.
Nothing makes them talk about gun control faster than minorities arming.
Current contents of the shell don't say much about past contents of it.
it is, and always was, about killing brown people.
If the Dems aren't running on abolishing ICE and completely dismantling the police state, now, they're setting up to throw the 2028 election.
I hate to say it but they likely won't. Establishment democrats are complicit.
AOC is gonna need a big mop.
So are their voters.
Doubtful. The Democrats we have run on the platform of keep everything exactly the same. No changes, we're all good here. No notes.
It'll be "it's the economy stupid".
They're gonna Ratchet Effect the shit out this!
Yeah, about that...
Lol, what tourists
People born in the 90s:
At age 10: I want to move to USA to live there!
At age 30: Traveling to USA seems to be too dangerous. I'll pass.
Haha this was me, except even around age 20, when I moved to the UK, I was thinking I might want to move to the USA later in life. But the more I've learned about the country since, the less I'd want to live there. The gun mania, the religion mania, the actual political options being all squeezed into the centre-to-far-right spectrum all sound nightmarish. (Tbh we're kinda having that last issue in the UK too, but to a less extreme degree.)
That's me. Wanted to move there because software engineer. Now I'm 30 and fuck no. Major changes would need to happen and even then I'm not sure I'd feel safe. It's not the damn shootings that bother me even, it's that so many people support Trump and ICE. Those people will still be around even when Trump is gone. Meaning at any time the US could elect a less incompetent version of Trump.
So does the US just want to totally kill its tourist industry because that seems to be the objective.
Unfortunatel I feel like most people will complain about this and visit anyway. I'd be very happy to be wrong about this though.
Well I used to go to Vegas quite often for conferences and now that's stopped because apparently no one else wants to go either. I think they are having it in Leeds this year, which is quite the downgrade let me tell you.
Better food though.
Only ignorant people. I had dreams of visiting and maybe doing a road trip, but under Trump I'm definitely not going there voluntarily. Even if my employer wants me to go there on business I'm refusing. I'd rather find another job than cross the US border.
I think maybe they're intentionally isolating themselves?
Visitors will also be required to provide information on what US authorities dub “high-value data fields,” meaning all of their phone numbers over the past five years and all of their e-mail addresses over the past 10. Moreover, they will be forced to provide personal details on family members as well as provide their own biometric data.
That's an entry ban for many people here. I do not know in which forums I posted some questions back in Dec 2020. I totally do not know the numbers of those prepaid sims I used while traveling 2016 till 2019. I used their mobile data and they have been in the trash for a decade. I also do not not every trash mail, mail redirect and mail service I have used since 2015. That must be hundreds of adresses.
Your point stands, but 2019 was more than five years ago
One of my relative was stuck in us borders because he didn't have social media pages to his name so they thought he was a terrorist.
This was in 2021 I believe.
This made me scared to go even before the orange man came back.
reason #2 why I would never visit that country
(#1 is the mass shootings and gun mania)
(tbh the only thing I'd want to visit to begin with are the giant sequoia in California)
How... how much gun violence do you think actually happens here?
There's a lot by number, and that's a serious fucking issue, but the US is also massive. It's not a regular or frequent danger of normal life here.
Even those numbers are pumped up by the fact that suicide by gun is counted in the exact same "gun violence" statistics as gang violence, and the "school shootings" statistics include all from the "gun violence" stats that occur within a certain radius around, regardless of when it happened (summer break, middle of the night, etc) or if it was any danger to students.
News overfocuses on shit like that because it pulls eyes and clicks, and therefore ad revenue.
Again, it is a serious fucking problem, but it's not the kind of thing you're going to experience in daily life or as a tourist.
Mass shootings are still proportionally a lot more common than in similar countries:
There were 109 public mass shootings in the United States and 35 public mass shootings in 35 other economically and politically comparative countries between 2000 and 2022. The United States makes up 33 percent of the combined population of these 36 countries; however, it also accounts for 76 percent of public mass shooting incidents and 70 percent of victim fatalities in these countries. (source)
The USA has about 5 times the general (non-suicide) homicide rate compared to the UK.
Add to that the 20 times higher gun ownership rate between USA and Scotland, plus the mental health crisis and extreme political polarisation, and I would rather just not be there, you know 🤷
You should travel. It will open your eyes to the shit going on in America that apparently you Americans think is "normal".
Relax there's plenty of other reasons to not visit your shithole country
Don't worry about it! The Democrats will oppose this and get it kicked out for being un American. And if they don't succeed then all you have to do is wait until they get back into office and they'll executive order it straight outta town in an instant.....
Right?
This is why America sucks lol Republicans do horrendous shit and still people somehow blame the one party that can oppose that shit because of a scenario they made up in their heads.
The only party that can oppose anything effectively is a third party.
Well we look forward to the democrats being an effective opposition. Oh wait.... 🫠
Riiiiight???
tourists? what tourists?
So much freedom of speech
your freedom of speech is fine, as long as you don't say anything bad about shitler
oh damn. I guess i can't go somewhere i wasn't gonna go anyway. Woe is me.
No thanks.
lol the World Cup is gonna be yuge success bigly
"why are the canadian matches so much more populated compared to ours?"
Surely FIFA fans won't put up with an incredibly oppressive country
RIP what was left of the US tourism industry
Not that I would ever set foot in the US but what constitutes Social Media?
Yeah, I'd worry that they'd ask for my social media and get confused and angry.
Haven't been to the USA since 2016, unlikely to ever go again. :(
"I don't use social media, and I don't have an email."
Well you can of course do that. Then if it discovered that you’ve lied on an entry form, you’ll be denied entry forever.
Or malicious compliance: only share porn accounts... with a wink.
Social media accounts. Shares 16 different fetlife accounts.
And then they deny you access for being a freak. You still dont win and are out the money for your tickets and have to buy return trip off date at your expense. Or get shipped to gitmo.
Dear lord!!! Just tell me what you don't wanna have, it's way shorter!
Oh wait ... you can't even pay me to go there! Would an employer demand me to go there, I'd quit on the spot.
I decided to never return to the US after they brought in mandatory fingerprinting. It's progressed so much further now. Land of the free
How long until the USA institutes Sakoku or something like it?
Freedom!
dont know who has to hear this but it's ok to lie to the government.
That is false. Lying to federal agents, investigators, or officials can land you in a world of shit. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 for details.
https://legalclarity.org/18-u-s-c-1001-false-statements-and-federal-penalties/
In context I think they mean morally
Seems they got really tired of people bringing burner phones when visiting the USA.
I don't have any history to hand over. Still not going though.
And what happens if I forget something? So many email addresses and phone numbers to avoid marketing spam… no way I could honestly recall them all.
This is more relevant than ever: https://youtu.be/eiyfwZVAzGw
Or for those who want to skip Google snorting up your data: https://yewtu.be/watch?v=eiyfwZVAzGw
Sadly, Palantir will probably find them all and then they'll accuse you of lying or withholding info.
Showing up at the airport with my file cabinet full of old memes.
I thought that had been required before. What changed?
It wasn't
Some comment mentioned that this is for visa free visits whereas visa visits already had that requirement.
Yes ESTA already asks for social accounts while applying for Us visa.
red state tourism must be taking a hit, if the MSM arnt reporting it.
Ok, idea, The rest of the world demands access to 5 years of US citizens social media to enter their countries. Deny Nazi/Fash/Maga from leaving the US.
Most maga can't afford to leave the country much less their own state.
while true, there are a boat load of wealthy republicans that would NOT pass a social media check
Nah fuck that. The non-Nazis can come over, and we'll have a barbie 🇺🇸🇦🇺🦐🍻
Good idea. Let's just do what the fascists are doing. That'll show them!
I mean, we've tried not reciprocating.
They literally don't get anything until it's happening to them, and the US left NEVER makees it happen to them.
For the rest of the world it's a smart idea, who would want self proclaimed domestic terrorists into their country?
A lot of Americans on the right famiously doesnt own a passport and doesn't leave the country. You are more or less playing into their hand..
I'm more worried about the politicians :)
But why would you leave the Greatest Country on Earth™?