Is Donald Trump Turning US Tourism Into a Surveillance Trap for Foreign Visitors?
America risks driving away visitors by forcing them to surrender personal information that has nothing to do with public safety
As a British subject, living in the United Kingdom, I have visited the United States more than a dozen times over the past four decades. In that time, I’ve collected 32 different states, which is more than most residents in the US can claim.
To visit the US today, I have to complete an electronic application known as the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) costing $40/£30, which collects basic information on who I am, in order to provide a 90-day visitors visa.
So far, so good.
Proposals made this week by the US are set to significantly increase the information demanded before I step on to American soil. Detailed information on now this data will be collected, reviewed and what use it may be put to, are vague at best.
This is what I will be expected to provide in order to be considered for entry into the United States as a tourist.
Passport details
This is standard information, including the passport number, expiry date, place of issue, date of birth and nationality. Pretty much every county in the world asks for these basic details.
Social media history
A new requirement, where I must provide details of my social media history going back five years. This, I presume, is to make sure I haven’t said anything which may upset their glorious leader. I have.
What this means in practice, we have yet to discover. Presumably, my Facebook, Instagram and X details as a minimum. Define social media - are Substack Notes social media? Who decides? I also post on social media for two businesses and a charity - will those be needed too?
My personal phone numbers
Any phone number I have owned in the past five years. That could be my personal mobile number and a house phone. What about my business phone numbers, which are technically, not personal?
And what, exactly, does this information provide to US immigration? Can they access my text messages, or the numbers I have called? The indication is, that the US immigration authorities will use GPS to determine that as I leave the United Kingdom, that they can check my phone to make sure that is true.
My email addresses
All of my email addresses going back a full ten years. Ten years? And again, what use is that to US immigration? They can’t access any of my email messages, so they won’t be able to read anything I have said that “himself” might not like. Or can they?
And again, what about the email addresses I use for business, or the charity one with my first name and using the charity domain? Do they want those too? And anyway, some of the email I’ve used in the past ten years, no longer exist.
My close family
I will be required to provide details of my close family, including their names, address, date of birth, relationship and probably more. That information is private to them - not public to US immigration.
And what is “close family” anyway? My daughter and perhaps my ex-wife? My brother and his children?
The affect on US tourism
There was a report earlier this year from the World Travel & Tourism Council, that of 184 countries across the world, there is only one where the value of tourist spend is expected to drop.
Take a guess which of the 184 countries that might be? The United States of America is the answer you may not have had to think much about. And that was before today’s announcement.
Other reasons not to visit the USA
Whatever your politics may be, the prospect of visiting the United States with Donald Trump in charge are not welcoming.
If I were to pass all of the proposed rules, what guarantee of safety do I have as a foreign tourist from being arrested by ICE or the FBI because someone discovers this negative-to-Trump article published today, while I am in the US in a years time?
Trump’s war on tourists
The United States imposing such draconian requirement on me as a British subject, will affect American businesses. If I don’t travel to the US, I won’t be spending money on air fares, hotels, fuel, car hire, restaurants or entertainment.
Individually, the loss of my dollars isn’t going to be noticed by individual businesses. But, multiply my non-spending by tourists from the 40+ countries where these new rules will apply, who decides not to visit after all, and the losses become significant.
When Donald Trump imposes these new rules, rather than saying “this is good for the safety of America”, he should really be saying “this will be bad for YOUR business, but I don’t care, I have plenty of money”.
Will I visit the United States again?
I have enjoyed my dozen previous visits to the US and I have very good friends there.
Given the level of private information being demanded, they might not let me in anyway, as I have said on social media, in email and on my phones, that I don’t like Donald J. Trump.
What would you do?
A holiday in Europe perhaps?