Australian travellers heading to the United States this year will be required to disclose all their social media information. If you're planning a trip, be aware that having tweets or posts critical of the US from the past 5 years will determine your ability to enter the country.
This new change is sure to affect all Australian LGBTIQ community members.
Under changes to the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), tourists from Visa Waiver Program countries such as Australia will be required to list every social media account and any handles used in the past five years. Advocates and civil liberties groups say they have serious concerns about people's privacy and safety.
Australian legal experts have warned that the move amounts to an “unprecedented invasion of privacy” for travellers to the US and implications for those who are politically outspoken or active online. Smartraveller is urging Aussie travellers to consider the necessity of travelling to the US, their online security, and past social media content before booking any flights.
Spending by foreign visitors to the United States declined by more than $8 billion in 2025 due to restrictions on entry and increased scrutiny of visitors' online footprints, which, combined with negative perceptions of politics, trade, and immigration policies, led international tourists to consider alternative destinations, according to a research note published by Oxford Economics.
Risks for the LGBTIQ+ community
The stakes are even higher for LGBTIQ+ Australians, whose online presence is often more critical of injustice and supportive of marginalised groups. Equality Australia has warned that LGBTIQ+ people with visible activist histories, mismatched gender markers, or X‑gender passports face “intense scrutiny” and denial of entry to the US, regardless of valid visas. Social media screening could expose individuals to officials targeting travellers whose identities or views they dislike.
Digital‑rights organisations say the US agencies can keep social media‑related data for decades and may share it widely across government, effectively creating long‑term files on travellers and their networks. For LGBTIQ+ Australians, this raises particular safety concerns where outing, dead‑naming or historic posts could be misread in a way that affects entry decisions or prompts invasive questioning.
