US tightens entry rules: why your social media may come under scrutiny

The Visa Waiver Program is a fast-track entry system into the US designed to make short-term travel easier.

It allows visitors to enter the US for 90 days by obtaining a waiver known as the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA).

In a proposal announced on December 10 by the by US Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security, ESTA applicants will need to provide the names of their social media accounts for the past five years.

Currently, ESTA applicants may voluntarily provide their social media history, and are prompted for their Facebook profile, LinkedIn name, Instagram handle and Twitter/X identification.

Additional proposed rules would require travelers to provide the last 10 years of email addresses, IP addresses, photo metadata, biometric data, and details about their family members.

The proposal is seeking feedback up until February 9, 2026.

The "enhanced vetting" is designed to comply with an executive order from President Donald Trump which called for "uniform baseline screening and vetting standards and procedures".

Opposition frontbencher James Paterson said he wouldn't criticise the US for overhauling the visa-free program.

"Some of this is not new. It's standard information," he told Sky News on Thursday.

"The immigration policies of the United States government really are a matter for the United States, just as Australia's immigration policy is a matter for us," Senator Paterson said.