Oppose Mandatory Social Media Collection and ESTA Changes That Harm Tourism

I am writing to urge you to oppose the proposed changes to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) under OMB Control Number 1651-0111, particularly the mandatory social media collection requirement and expanded data collection that will severely damage American tourism and hospitality industries. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is implementing Executive Order 14161 by making social media from the last five years mandatory for all ESTA applications. Additionally, CBP proposes collecting telephone numbers from the last five years, email addresses from the last ten years, IP addresses, photo metadata, and family and business contact information. These invasive requirements will deter millions of legitimate travelers from visiting the United States. The tourism industry supports millions of American jobs and contributes hundreds of billions of dollars to our economy annually. International visitors spend money at hotels, restaurants, attractions, and retail establishments in communities across the country. When we create hostile, invasive screening processes that treat tourists like criminals, we drive them to choose other destinations. Canada, Europe, and other competitors do not require travelers to surrender five years of social media history and a decade of email addresses simply to visit for vacation or business. CBP is also decommissioning the ESTA website entirely, forcing all applicants to use only a mobile application. This eliminates options for travelers who may not have compatible smartphones or who prefer web-based applications. Combined with mandatory facial recognition, liveness detection software, and electronic passport chip scanning, the system creates multiple barriers that will frustrate and alienate potential visitors. The comment period closes February 9, 2026. I urge you to submit comments opposing these changes and to work with colleagues to block implementation of mandatory social media collection and the elimination of the ESTA website. We should welcome legitimate visitors to America, not treat them with suspicion and subject them to surveillance that violates their privacy and dignity. Our tourism industry and the workers who depend on it deserve better than policies that drive business away.