If you want entry in America, you will have to tell your DNA, social media history and e-mail. Know what is Visa Waiver Program.

just think about it America Planning a trip. Book flight tickets, reserve hotels, and have only adventure on your mind! But as soon as you sit to fill the ESTA form, new demands start appearing on the screen. Your social media history, your old emails, family members’ details, and even biometric data like face and DNA! Hearing this, it is natural for any traveler to have a question as to why this change and for whom?

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In fact, America’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has recently issued a new proposal, in which it has been made mandatory for travelers from countries covered under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to provide very personal data. Right now this is just a proposal, but it could impact millions of passengers from more than 40 countries.

New travel conditions: What will have to be paid now?

The information sought in CBP’s proposal is more detailed than ever before. think of it as a story

1. Social Media History

• Social media history of last five years
• All phone numbers used in the last five years
• Email addresses used in the last ten years
• IP address and metadata extracted from your uploaded photos
• It is as if you open your digital diary before entering America.

2. Every important detail related to family

• Names of parents, spouse, siblings and children
• Phone numbers of family members (last 5 years)
• His date of birth and birthplace
• List of where they stayed
• This means that not only the passenger, but also the digital and personal profile of his family will be registered in the system.

New demand for biometric data

• face
• fingerprint
• DNA
• iris scan
• This is being considered the biggest step in the name of security. That means entry into America can now be like a high-tech verification process.

Business communication also examined

• Business phone number (last 5 years)
• Official email address (last 10 years)
• This means that your professional identity will also come under scrutiny.

Who is included in this visa waiver program?

The Visa Waiver Program allows citizens of certain countries to visit the United States without a visa for 90 days. In this list, Australia, Japan, France, Germany, Britain, South Korea, New Zealand, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Israel, Singapore, Chile, Qatar, Poland, Portugal etc., a total of 40+ countries are part of this system.

When will these rules come into effect?

However, there is no need to panic right now. This is not the final rule. This is just a proposal. The public has been given 60 days to give their opinion. CBP says ‘nothing has changed at this time’. This is just the beginning of a discussion. New avenues of security are being explored, especially after the recent attack in Washington DC.

Why is this happening?

It is being said that this step has been taken due to security concerns. The Trump administration has been known for strict immigration policies in the past as well. The US already collected social media information from travelers from non-VWP countries. This policy continued even during the Biden government. The new proposal is another big step in that direction.