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Donald Trump’s administration has floated the idea of requiring tourists to the United States to provide five years’ worth of social media history as a condition of being allowed in.
The proposed system was unveiled on Wednesday (10 December) and would affect tourists who still want to visit the US and who are currently eligible to visit for 90 days without a visa, if they have filled out an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) form.
If it were to go ahead, the new ESTA system would require applicants to “provide their social media from the last five years”, as well as give telephone numbers used over the last five years and email addresses used over the last 10 years. It may also require applicants to give information about their family members.
This includes tourists from the UK, Ireland, France, Australia and Japan.
“We just want people to come over here, and safe. We want safety. We want security. We want to make sure we're not letting the wrong people come enter our country,” Trump told reporters.
The proposed change to the system has sparked widespread concern (as well as some obligatory humour).
“Why would anyone visit the United States under conditions like this? This is absolute insanity and will badly damage US tourism,” suggested another.
“Your dad sat in a meeting room at the airport being confronted with a huge stack of printed out screenshots of him pestering glamour models. Your mum in tears,” someone joked.
Another pointed out: “From the guys that lecture Europe daily on free speech.”
One person wrote, “Land of the free” alongside a pair of clown emojis.
In response to the news, someone shared a Home Alone meme about forgetting your social media printouts.
Another brought up the “fat JD Vance” meme.
France’s official X/Twitter account of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs wrote: “Today, the EU gets lectured about ‘free speech’ for trying to make platforms more transparent.
“Meanwhile, the US is considering blocking entry if your social media looks politically inconvenient.”
They continued, adding: “A very curious way to defend ‘freedom’, privacy and personal data.”
“Buckle up, US airlines, hotels, hospitality companies, places like NY, Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Hawaii.
“Market share will shift to places that welcome tourists,” argued another.
Another wrote: “Yeah this is the death knell for tourism. It doesn’t matter if it passes or not. It scares people. And that’s enough. People don’t want to be scared on vacation.”
Someone else pointed out: “We're supposed to be hosting the World Cup in like six months.”
“Asking tourists to volunteer 5 years of their social media history, and granting them entrance based on whether right-wing bureaucrats personally agree with their personal posts is what authoritarian regimes do.
“This will decimate U.S. tourism,” claimed another.
Another person, rather pointedly, said: “I’m sure Vance and Musk and others who blast Europe’s free speech issues will loudly protest this invasion of privacy and free speech in the US!”
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