The U.S. government wants to see Twitter and Facebook accounts of foreign travelers

Author: Colin Daileda / Source: Mashable

The new ESTA form for travelers under the Visa Waiver Program has the option of adding your social media accounts.

The United States government has started asking a select number of foreign travelers about their social media accounts.

The news came on Thursday via Politico and was confirmed to Mashable by a spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after the new procedure reportedly began earlier in the week.

The process dovetails with what has been expected for months and has been slammed by privacy advocates.

Here’s what we know about the basics of the program.

Whose information is the agency collecting?

CBP is asking for social media info from anyone traveling to the U.S. through the Visa Waiver Program, which means they’d be able to travel about the country for 90 days of business or pleasure without a visa.

The social media request is a part of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) form, which travelers looking for a visa waiver have to fill out before they get to the U.S. The form is used to assess “law enforcement or security risk,” according to the CBP’s website.

Travelers from 38 countries are eligible for a visa waiver, including those from the United Kingdom, Belgium, France and Hungary.

What kind of information are they looking for?

The form reportedly asks for account names on prominent social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn, as well as networks many people don’t think much about, such as Github and Google+.

Is it mandatory?

No one has to fill out their social media information to get into the country, and CBP has reportedly said it won’t bar anyone from the U.S. just because that person didn’t want to give their Twitter handle to the government.