A move by the US to require access to five years of social media posts by some foreign visitors is unlikely to affect Canadians driving through B.C. land crossings.
That’s according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection statement issued in response to a query by Black Press Media regarding the proposal.
It is part of a 60-day notice and request for comments on changes to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) system proposed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security.
Published Dec. 10, the notice said in response to an order by President Donald Trump, “CBP is adding social media as a mandatory data element for an ESTA application. The data element will require ESTA applicants to provide their social media from the last five years.”
That advisory specifies the social media history requirement will apply to visitors who need visas to enter the U.S.
Currently, Canadians don’t need a formal visa in their passport to enter the U.S.
“Nothing has changed on this front for those coming to the United States,” said the CBP statement provided to the Langley Advance Times.
“This is not a final rule, it is simply the first step in starting a discussion to have new policy options to keep the American people safe. The Department is constantly looking at how we vet those coming into the country, especially after the terrorist attack in Washington, D.C., against our National Guard right before [the U.S.] Thanksgiving.”
In that incident, an Afghan national was charged with shooting two National Guard troops, killing one.
Reports said the attacker entered the U.S. in 2021 through a program that resettled Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from the country.
The CPB statement on the social media proposal said the suggested changes were in line with a Trump executive order calling for steps to “vet and screen to the maximum degree possible all aliens who intend to be admitted, enter, or are already inside the United States, particularly those aliens coming from regions or nations with identified security risks.”