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Image: Keith Bedford/The Boston Globe via Getty Images]
The United States government is proposing a major overhaul of how it screens international visitors, and the implications could ripple all the way to South Africa.
Earlier this week, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published a proposal that would require foreign travellers applying for visa-free access to the United States to submit up to five years of their social media history when applying through the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA).
The plan also includes requests for past phone numbers, email addresses, biometric data, and extensive personal information.
Under current rules, citizens of visa-waiver countries, mostly in Europe and East Asia, only need to complete a brief online form, pay a fee, and receive authorisation before entering the U.S. for short visits.
But under the new proposal, social media disclosures would become mandatory, marking a significant expansion of what travellers must share before they even board a plane.
Although South Africa is not part of the US Visa Waiver Programme, the proposal illustrates a broader shift in US entry requirements that affects global travellers, including South Africans, in several ways:
U.S.–South Africa relations are already strained. The United States, under President Donald Trump, has taken a series of hardline positions toward SA, from cutting foreign assistance over land reform policy disputes, to accusing Pretoria of human-rights failings, to diplomatic spats including the rare move of declaring South Africa’s ambassador persona non grata. South Africa’s government has repeatedly rejected these US claims, noting that they rest on misleading premises and undermine decades of progress on racial justice.
South Africa was also recently “disinvited” from the G20 summit scheduled to be hosted by the United States in 2026. While Pretoria noted that Washington has no authority to block South Africa from attending a multilateral gathering of which it is a full member, it added that it would not force its way into the event or “gatecrash” the summit.
The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from digital-rights advocates who warn that mandatory disclosure of social media histories could chill free speech and deter legitimate travellers.
Critics argue that travellers might self-censor before trips or avoid visiting entirely due to privacy concerns.
It is important to note that the Proposal is not yet final and that this measure is still a proposal open for public comment for 60 days.
This means stakeholders, from travel and tech industries to civil liberties groups, can weigh in before any change is final.
If you travel to the U.S. under a visa category that already includes social media scrutiny, such as student or work visas, policy shifts may affect you soon.
If you post political or critical content online, be mindful of how such posts could be interpreted under expanded vetting systems.