An initiative requiring travelers to submit their social media (SNS) activity from the past five years to visit the United States without a visa is fueling anxiety among travelers in Korea.
Even for simple tourism or family visits, SNS account content will be subject to review, prompting jokes online such as, "Should we change our account profile name to 'MAGA (Make America Great Again·making America great again),' the slogan of U.S. President Donald Trump?"
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on the 10th (local time) that citizens of 42 countries, including Korea, the United Kingdom and Japan, that participate in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) will be required to submit information on SNS accounts used over the past five years when applying for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). The notice was posted in the Federal Register and is expected to take effect after collecting public comments for 60 days.
Observers say it is a continuation of the anti-immigration policy line pursued by the Trump administration. SNS scrutiny, which had been limited to international students and green card applicants, is expanding to general short-term visitors such as travelers.
Among those preparing to travel to the United States, there is concern that posts unrelated to actual circumstances could be subject to screening. A person surnamed Lee (33), who has consistently posted about hamburgers, said, "I am simply planning a tour of popular hamburger spots, but if I have to have five years of SNS records reviewed, I have no choice but to consider another destination."
Some are worried that visiting family could become difficult. A person surnamed Yoon (58), who is preparing to fly to the United States to see a daughter about to give birth, said, "I heard they even look at likes and subscription histories on KakaoTalk and YouTube, so I deleted related records," adding, "If the scrutiny gets tougher, I might become hesitant to go see my daughter."
The travel industry says changes are already being felt. A HanaTour Co. official said, "Some SNS review is being conducted during the ESTA screening process, so we are informing customers about the related details of the upcoming rule," adding, "There are cases where people change destinations because of the burden of scrutiny."
There is also an outlook that ESTA screening could become more stringent. The head of a study-abroad center said, "ESTA screening is considered sensitive enough that people say its scope is broader than that of a student visa," adding, "There is a possibility of more issuance delays or rejections going forward."
Online communities are sharing "workarounds" to avoid SNS scrutiny. Representative suggestions include, "Follow only accounts like Disney, Universal Studios or tourism boards," "Create a fake ghost account," and "Prepare a disposable smartphone."
However, the actual effectiveness is uncertain. An international student in the United States said, "When I was being screened for a student visa, I personally saw a U.S. Embassy staffer send an applicant away for not entering their SNS account accurately."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "We are closely monitoring changes to the U.S. administration's immigration policy and are maintaining necessary communication with the U.S. side."