US to require travellers to provide DNA in exchange for ESTA visas

Five years of social media will be another requirement

The US is consulting on a proposal to greatly expand data requirements for visitors from countries where the visa waiver rules apply, including demands for DNA, biometrics and social media history.

The proposal from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), would require travellers eligible for the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) visa waiver for short trips, including visitors from the UK and EU among around 40 nations, to provide the following “high value data elements” in addition to the information already collected in the ESTA application:

• Telephone numbers used in the last five years
• Email addresses used in the last ten years
• IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos
• Family member names (parents, spouse, siblings, children)
• Family number telephone numbers used in the last five years
• Family member dates of birth
• Family member places of birth
• Family member residencies
• Biometrics – face, fingerprint, DNA, and iris
• Business telephone numbers used in the last five years
• Business email addresses used in the last ten years

Five years of social media history will be another mandatory element for all ESTA applications.

As well as being processed for ESTA applications, biometric data will be used to make it easier for “departing aliens” to report their exit from the US, with geolocation detection and selfie liveness checks deployed to ensure the traveller really is outside of the country at the time.

ESTA website to be replaced by an app

As per the proposals, the current ESTA website will be closed, with the estimated 14 million annual applications processed instead by a dedicated app.

The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency of the DHS complains that the current website has no way to validate the authenticity of the passport through the embedded electronic chip. “Bad actors exploit this vulnerability to apply for an ESTA,” it claims. It adds that poor quality photos uploaded to the website have been used to evade checks, and that spoof ESTA sites have been used to con travellers.

The CBP admits that the proposed changes would be disruptive to immigration officials, but argues they are justified. “While transitioning to a mobile-only ESTA system may present some initial challenges, the long-term benefits, including enhanced security and fraud reduction, make the transition a viable national security decision.”

The consultation is open for comment until 8^th February.

The proposed changes represent a major increase in data collection from would-be travellers to the country as well as a continuing hardening of border policy. CNN reports that 85,000 visas have been revoked since January, twice the number cancelled last year, including 8,000 student visas.