The U.S. Travel Association said it was "deeply concerned" about the impact of a proposal that Visa Waiver Program (VWP) travelers provide their social media from the last five years to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
"Without more detail from CBP, there are legitimate questions from travelers about what information they might need to provide, and from security experts as to whether this policy would meaningfully increase America's security," U.S. Travel said. "And one thing that isn't in question: this policy could have a chilling effect on travel to the United States."
There are 42 countries in the VWP, including most of Europe, South Korea, Australia and Japan. The change would mean that foreign travelers' social media history would part of the pre-travel Electronic System for Travel Authorization application.
U.S. Travel further said that VWP travelers come here "to do deals with American businesses, buy American products and experience the beauty of our great nation. If we get this policy wrong, millions of travelers could take their business and the billions of dollars they spend elsewhere, only making America weaker."
The CBP proposal is open for public comment for the next 60 days.