New US Travel Regulations Will Subject Aussie, UK, And New Zealand Travelers To Stringent Social Media Disclosure, Posing Major Privacy Concerns

Published on December 11, 2025

The new US travel regulations, set to impact travelers from Australia, the UK, and New Zealand, will require them to disclose their social media history as part of the visa application process. This move, aimed at enhancing national security, has raised significant privacy concerns, as travelers will be forced to share detailed records of their online presence, potentially compromising personal data. The policy’s implications for privacy and its potential to affect the travel experience are prompting backlash and widespread debate among international travelers and advocacy groups.

A significant change in the United States’ travel authorization system is on the horizon, with a proposal that could affect Australians and travelers from other visa-exempt countries. The new regulations, set to be mandatory for those applying for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), will require applicants to provide an extensive amount of personal data, including social media histories spanning five years and details about their family members.

The U.S. has long required detailed disclosures from travelers applying for traditional tourist visas, particularly since 2019, when applicants had to submit their social media history as part of the application. However, ESTA, the system used by travelers from countries like Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to enter the U.S. without a visa for short stays, has not previously required such thorough disclosures. Instead, social media history had been a voluntary part of the application process. Under this new proposal, however, that will no longer be the case.

This new rule would mandate that applicants provide a full list of social media handles, usernames, or any identifiers they have used during the past five years. This means that for the first time, travelers will need to disclose every online identity they’ve had during that period, including those tied to both personal and professional accounts.

What makes this change particularly noteworthy is the lack of clarity in the proposal regarding whether the disclosed social media profiles must be public-facing accounts or whether private communications and messages could also be accessed. While the exact details remain uncertain, many believe that the heightened scrutiny of online activities is part of a broader push by the U.S. government to regulate online discourse and monitor who can and cannot enter the country.

The changes are not limited to social media histories. In addition to providing social media handles, applicants will also be required to submit phone numbers they’ve used in the past five years. This includes personal, work, and even temporary phone numbers, regardless of whether those numbers are still active. Travelers will also be expected to list every email address they have used over the last decade, including old personal or business accounts, along with any email addresses connected to social media accounts or other online services.

One of the more invasive requirements in the proposed rule changes is the disclosure of information about travelers’ family members. Applicants will be required to provide the names, dates of birth, and contact details for family members from the past five years. The rule does not specify how broadly “family members” is defined or whether this data could be used to assess applicants based on their family’s connections or relationships. This opens the door for potentially broad data collection that could profile not only the applicants but their families as well.

In addition to the new personal and social media disclosures, the proposal also touches on biometric data. The U.S. already collects fingerprints and facial scans from travelers at the point of entry into the country. However, the proposed regulations would expand this biometric data collection to include more extensive forms of identification, such as DNA and iris scans. While fingerprint and facial scans have been in use for some time, these new proposed measures could see the collection of even more detailed personal biometric data. However, the proposal does not clarify how these new biometric identifiers would be collected or processed.

The Trump administration has defended the proposal as necessary for ensuring public safety. In remarks made at a White House event, the administration justified the new rules as a critical step toward protecting the nation’s borders. These new data collection policies come as part of a broader tightening of U.S. visa policies since the administration’s return to office in January. For instance, earlier this year, applicants for student and H-1B skilled worker visas were required to make all their social media accounts public as part of their visa applications. This broadening of data collection reflects the administration’s ongoing effort to manage who enters the country based on more comprehensive monitoring of individuals’ digital histories.

The Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection have opened the proposal for a 60-day public comment period. This means the proposed rule changes are still in the early stages and will not take effect until the rule-making process is finalized. This process could take several months, leaving ample time for feedback and modifications before the new regulations become mandatory.

For Australian travelers, this proposal represents a major shift in the ESTA application process. What was once a relatively straightforward form—requiring only basic personal details and a small fee—could now demand detailed personal disclosures, potentially including years of social media history, email accounts, phone numbers, and information about family members. The changes could transform ESTA from a simple travel authorization system into an extensive personal data-gathering exercise.

These new rules come at a time when the U.S. is preparing for large tourism spikes due to significant upcoming events such as the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. With such high-profile events expected to attract large numbers of international visitors, travelers attending these events could be turned away at the border if their online histories raise concerns or if they fail to provide the required information. The proposal, therefore, could have far-reaching consequences for tourists, especially those traveling for large, high-visibility events.

New US travel regulations will mandate travelers from Australia, the UK, and New Zealand to disclose their social media history, raising serious privacy concerns about the exposure of personal online data. This move, aimed at boosting security, has sparked widespread criticism over its potential invasion of privacy.

As the U.S. government tightens its entry requirements and increases data collection on visitors, travelers must stay informed about the changing regulations and prepare for potential new hurdles in the travel process. With digital activity now under more scrutiny, tourists from Australia and other visa-exempt countries may need to rethink how they approach the ESTA application process in the future.