Several leading travel industry bodies, including the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) and the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), have raised concerns over proposed changes to the United States’ Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), urging U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to take a more balanced and practical approach.
The proposal would require travellers entering the US under the Visa Waiver Program to disclose up to five years of social media history as a mandatory part of the ESTA application.
Both organisations have submitted formal comments to CBP, stressing that security and mobility must go hand in hand.
“Security and efficient business travel are not mutually exclusive,” said Suzanne Neufang, CEO of GBTA. “While GBTA strongly supports efforts to protect US borders and enhance traveller security, the proposed changes pose significant risks and could undermine the benefits that business travel brings to organisations who send their employees on international trips to the US and the American destinations who welcome them.”
The associations also called for greater clarity on how the requirement would be implemented. “The proposed mandatory collection of social media data raises significant privacy, economic and competitive concerns that warrant careful review and greater transparency,” said Peter Lobasso, SVP, industry affairs and general counsel at ASTA.
ASTA also said that travel advisors have also reported growing concern among international travellers, noting that government review of social media activity – without clear standards – could be seen as “intrusive and disproportionate to short-term business or tourism”.
The uncertainty alone may discourage otherwise eligible visitors from visiting US. warning that the move could disrupt global business travel, restrict corporate mobility and weaken the US’s position as a leading destination for international travel, meetings and events.
ASTA also warned that mandatory social media disclosure could prompt reciprocal measures from foreign governments, potentially subjecting US travellers to expanded data collection abroad and creating further friction for international travel.