Proposals to ask tourists from dozens of countries including Ireland to provide five years of social media history as a condition of entry to the US are “not workable” and would lead to “log jams everywhere”, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said.
The new conditions would affect people eligible to visit the US for 90 days without a visa.
Mr Martin has described US president Donald Trump as a “sensible guy” who “likes to get things done in an accelerated way”.
“He does not believe in over-bureaucratising things. This (proposal) would hinder travel in a big way,” he said.
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“I think there is very good historical connections between Ireland and the United States. It is an important one so we would not like to see anything which would hinder travel between both countries and the peoples of both countries. I think it (the proposal) is not workable.”
Mr Martin said every effort will be made to “consult and engage” with the US authorities in relation to the matter.
“Five years for some people is an awful lot of social media. Pity the person who has to look through it all,” he said.
“He (Mr Trump) likes to get things done in an accelerated way. In that context, I don’t see why five years of social media [is required]. It seems to me you would have log jams everywhere.”
The new mandatory disclosures would apply to 42 countries whose nationals are currently permitted to enter the US without a visa, as long as they have filled out an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (Esta) form. It affects Ireland, Britain, France, Germany, Japan and Australia among others.
In addition to social media history, applicants would also have to submit other “high value data fields” including email addresses from the last decade, phone numbers from the last five years, biometric information and personal details of family members.
The Department of Homeland Security said the proposal was not final and the US public has 60 days in which to submit comment.
