Planning a trip across the pond? Perhaps a nice holiday in New York or a road trip down Route 66? Sounds lovely. Just make sure you are ready to turn over the keys to your entire online life before you get on the plane. The Trump team has a new requirement for visitors, and it is not just "shoes off, laptop out."
The “Fast Lane” Just Got Nosy
If you are a resident of one of the 42 countries that are lucky enough to participate in the Visa Waiver Program (ESTA), you once had it easy. No interviews. No huge piles of paperwork. Just fill out a form on the Internet and show up. Well, time to clean up the party poopers.
The new proposal aims to take this quick check-in and turn it into a full-blown background check. They want your social media handles. Not just the ones you are using now, but all of the ones you have used in the past five years. Phone numbers and email addresses are included. Apparently, Customs and Border Protection needs to know about that one cringy argument you had on Twitter in 2022 in order to determine whether or not you are worthy of viewing the Statue of Liberty.
Because…you know…."safety reasons"
The reason given is national security. That is the classic excuse. They say it allows them to identify the bad guys. However, let's be honest here. It is hard to see how viewing your holiday pictures or reading your gripes about airline food protects the border.
Homeland Security hasn’t exactly clarified the criteria for evaluating your tweets. Is a bad pun a deportation offense? We’re not sure. You just have to turn it over and hope your sense of humor translates to a federal agent who has been working a double shift.
Just in Time for Kickoff
The timing of this is funny. This policy is being implemented just before the U.S. FIFA World Cup. What’s a better way to greet millions of foreign soccer fans than with a social media strip search? They say it won’t slow down the lines. If that’s true, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
The New Price of Admission
This isn't exactly new. It is just bigger. They started asking visa applicants for this kind of thing years ago. Civil rights groups didn't like it then. They don't like it now. But the government is expanding the net to catch the tourists who thought they were safe.
Travel is evolving. It was all about your passport. Now, your ticket in is based on five years of posts, likes, and shares. There is a sixty-day window to comment on the regulation, but don’t hold your breath for a miracle. You should probably start deleting those posts now.
