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A recently unveiled mandate for soccer tournament supporters traveling to the United States to hand over personal social media profile details has been called "profoundly unacceptable."

Compulsory Disclosure for Visa Waiver Applicants

According to the proposal, visitors from dozens of nations—including the UK—who use the visa waiver program would be required to submit information about online accounts they have held in the last five-year period. Until now, submitting this data was optional.

"These announced plans are profoundly unacceptable," stated Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe. "Free speech and the right of privacy are fundamental rights. No supporter surrenders those rights just because they cross a border."

He continued, "This policy creates a chilling atmosphere of monitoring that fundamentally opposes the welcoming, open spirit the tournament is supposed to represent and it must be withdrawn at once."

Origins in an Earlier Presidential Directive

The plan follows an executive order issued by Donald Trump in January that aims "to guarantee that all foreign nationals wishing to enter the United States are thoroughly checked to the fullest extent possible."

Government Response and Reasoning

A spokesperson for US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) provided context on the issue. "Nothing has changed on this subject for those traveling to the country," the spokesperson stated. "This is not a final rule, it is simply the first step in initiating a process to have additional measures to protect the public safe."

The spokesperson further noted, "The department are constantly looking at how we screen those coming into the country, particularly after the recent incident in the capital. The measure is in line with the earlier Executive Order to thoroughly check those who are coming into this country using the visa waiver system by allowing CBP to collect further data from non-US citizens using the visa waiver programme."