New proposal would ask foreign travelers for social media info

Foreigners traveling to the United States without a visa would be asked to provide the government with their social media handles under a new proposal from the US Customs and Border Protection. The optional question on arrival and departure forms would ask about a traveler’s “social media identifier," but not passwords. People could leave it blank.

The extra information would be used for vetting and contact information, according to the proposal. “Collecting social media data will enhance the existing investigative process and provide [the Department of Homeland Security] greater clarity and visibility to possible nefarious activity and connections by providing an additional tool set which analysts and investigators may use to better analyze and investigate the case,” according to the proposal. The proposed change was published in the Federal Register, giving the public 60 days to comment. The change would apply to arrival and departure forms that most foreigners traveling to the United States without a visa must fill out. The change would also apply to immigrants traveling through the visa waiver program, which was recently updated after terror attacks last year in Paris. The visa waiver program allows citizens from 38 countries to travel to the United States for business or vacation for up to 90 days without first getting a visa.