‘Censorship pure and simple’: critics hit out at Trump plan to vet visitors’ social media

The checks will be carried out when a visitor applies for their Esta and ‘will require Esta applicants to provide their social media from the last five years’. Photograph: NurPhoto/Getty Images

Free speech advocates have accused Donald Trump of “shredding civil liberties” and “censorship pure and simple” after the White House said it planned to require visa applicants from dozens of countries to provide social media, phone and email histories for vetting before being allowed into the US.

In a move that some commentators compared to China and others warned would decimate tourism to the US, including the 2026 Fifa World Cup, the Department for Homeland Security said it was planning to apply the rules to visitors from 42 countries, including the UK, Ireland, Australia, France, Germany and Japan, if they want to enter the US on the commonly used Esta visa waiver.