Germans traveling to the United States will soon be required to disclose their online activity from the past five years. According to a new directive issued Tuesday (local time) by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, travelers will also have to provide personal information about themselves and their family members, including names, addresses, and phone numbers.
President Donald Trump’s administration justifies the move as a measure to protect the United States “from foreign terrorists and other threats to national security and public safety.” The new rules are set to take effect within 60 days unless they are legally challenged, for example by data-protection advocates. The requirements apply to citizens of 42 countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program. Under this program, travelers from Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and other participating nations may enter the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa, provided they obtain an electronic travel authorization (Esta) beforehand.
In the future, German applicants will have to “provide their social media from the past five years,” according to the directive. The term is not defined in detail, but it likely refers to user accounts on platforms such as X, Facebook, or Instagram, which are already requested as part of visa applications. This information will be mandatory, along with other personal data. Travelers must submit phone numbers used in the past five years, as well as email addresses from the past ten years. The U.S. will also request extensive details about family members, including dates of birth, addresses, and phone numbers.
The tightened regulations could affect, for example, football fans traveling to next summer’s World Cup. The United States will co-host the tournament with Canada and Mexico. In addition to Germans, the new rules will apply to citizens of Israel, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and other close U.S. allies. Since President Donald Trump returned to office in January, his administration has taken a hard line against immigrants without valid documents. It has also significantly tightened entry requirements for citizens of friendly nations.
Critics accuse the Trump administration of using the scrutiny of social-media activity to keep political opponents out of the United States. Currently, U.S. authorities are already reviewing the online accounts of foreign students to assess their views, including their position on Israel.
In early December, the U.S. State Department also ordered applicants for skilled-worker visas (H-1B) to set their online accounts to “public” so that American authorities can view all content, not only material visible to approved contacts. This, the department says, ensures that entrants do not harm “national interests.” “A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right,” the department emphasized in a statement on December 3.
According to media reports, the State Department has also instructed employees in a memo not to issue visas to skilled workers who are involved in “censorship.” This refers to fact-checkers or moderators of online content. The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) said it was “very concerned” about the directive. The work of fact-checkers “strengthens public debate and does not censor it,” the IFCN stated. The organization includes the AFP news agency among its members.
Following Trump's re-election just over a year ago, US online giants like Meta announced they would discontinue fact-checking on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. The reason given was that fact-checkers were "too politically biased."
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