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Social media vetting for 'visiting visa' faces backlash
Senators Ron Wyden and Edward J. Markey noted that this would not just hurt the privacy of visitors but would also hurt the privacy of Americans too.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Mon, 16, Feb 2026
- 03:58 EST
- 20
Senators Ron Wyden and Edward J. Markey / Wikimedia commons
Democratic Senators Ron Wyden and Edward J. Markey urged the Trump administration to reverse the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s proposed rule that would require visitors eligible for visa-free travel to the U.S. to provide five years of social media history before entering the country.
Senator Wyden, in a statement, argued that the decision, if implemented, would result in a "sweeping invasion of privacy" and represent an unacceptable expansion of government data collection and monitoring.
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In a letter to CBP Commissioner Rodney S. Scott, the Senators claimed that most Americans would be outraged if another country, such as Great Britain, France, or Australia, imposed a similar policy on American tourists.
They further argued, "By requiring travelers to disclose their personal social media information, CBP will force people who simply want to visit family in the United States, conduct business with U.S. companies, or attend events such as the upcoming World Cup to submit to sweeping digital surveillance."
Raising concern over the policy's effect on American citizens, they noted, "without any assurance that social media monitoring will be confined to visitors’ own accounts, Americans may also self-censor to reduce the risk that CBP will capture their own speech simply because they interacted with a friend or family member from a VWP country."
They argued, "This backdoor surveillance of the American public is unacceptable."
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