Canadians travelling to the U.S. may have to show social media history at border

Some Canadian residents who plan to travel to the U.S. could soon be required to share their social media history when entering the country.

Canadians travelling to the U.S. could soon face additional restrictions, according to a new proposal shared in a notice by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The notice, dated Dec. 10, includes a proposal that would make it mandatory for travellers to share their social media history.

If the proposal is approved, those who require an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) will need to provide their social media history from the past five years. According to CBP, the more extensive screening process would be part of efforts to comply with Executive Order 14161, which aims to protect the U.S. from terrorist and other national safety threats.

The CBP website states that those with a Canadian passport do not need an ESTA and would therefore be exempt if the proposal is approved. However, residents of Canada who don't have a Canadian passport and are citizens of Visa Waiver Program countries will be subject to these conditions.

In addition to mandatory social media checks for ESTA applicants, CBP wants to add more data fields in the application form. The federal law enforcement agency intends to collect additional information, such as phone numbers used in the last five years, email addresses used in the last ten years, and data on family members, including their phone numbers, date of birth, and residences. ESTA applicants must also provide biometrics such as face, fingerprint, DNA, and iris scans.

Accessing travellers' electronic data isn't new. According to the latest data, CBP searched the electronic devices of 55,318 international travellers in 2025, up from the 47,047 devices searched in 2024.

According to the notice, the public has sixty days to respond to these proposed changes.

If you're a Canadian travelling to the U.S. any time soon, check out our guide.

We have reached out to CBP for a comment and will update when it responds.