The Trump administration wants visitors from forty two countries to hand over five years of their social media history before they enter the United States. That means five years of content that stretch from casual comments to photos that probably belonged in a private folder. The request covers material that ranges from Instagram sunsets to Facebook birthday rants. It even reaches old TikTok dances that should have been grounds for exile.
The Trump admin is proposing a rule that would require foreign tourists in the visa-waiver program to disclose five years of social media history, along with old phone numbers, emails, and family details when applying to enter the United States. pic.twitter.com/vjWsfq5ixU
— Timcast News (@TimcastNews) December 10, 2025
The Interns Who Will Guard the Republic
My first thought was not outrage. It was not panic. It was not even a policy reaction. My mind went straight to the interns. Someone inside the Department of Homeland Security will have to sift through this mountain of material. A federal employee will open a government-issued laptop and prepare to evaluate posts that range from harmless travel photos to content that could signal something more serious. The assignment is not designed for teenagers with dance routines. It is meant to add a layer of security in a world that keeps shifting. The real question becomes what the intern is supposed to treat as a red flag. A viral trend. A joke taken out of context. A meme that lands poorly. The traveler will submit their history and continue with their plans while the intern tries to decide whether a French influencer’s comedy bit qualifies as suspicious activity.
Stronger vetting does matter because people want safe borders and clear rules. They also want a basic understanding of who is entering the country. The world is not gentle and pretending otherwise creates chaos and confusion. The instinct behind this policy is understandable even when the execution feels built for comedy.
Washington’s Latest Tech Fantasy
The government took a reasonable idea and turned it into a digital scavenger hunt. A plan that asks people to recall every account they opened in the last decade assumes they even remember those passwords. Many politicians cannot open a browser without guidance. Many agencies cannot keep a single website online during peak traffic. The confidence on display is impressive for all the wrong reasons.
The new system also moves every part of the application process onto a phone. A visitor will now complete the most intrusive questionnaire of their life while standing in an airport line. America has become that restaurant that forces you to scan a QR code to see the menu. Now the concept is being used for national security. This is modern patriotism with a battery indicator in the corner of the screen.
And yes there is software that can scan social media at scale. Some programs scrape posts and flag keywords. Others generate risk profiles. The problem is obvious. These systems struggle to tell the difference between a joke and a threat. Many still treat sarcasm like a felony. Even with the fancy tech someone at DHS will still be stuck watching TikToks for America.
America’s TikTok Triage Unit
Picture a fresh graduate who arrives for their first day of government work. Their supervisor drops a file on the desk. The assignment is simple on paper. Review nine thousand TikToks from a teenager in Belgium. Flag anything that feels anti-American. Make note of unusual cat content. The intern will begin the day with enthusiasm. The intern will question their purpose by lunch.
Maybe the government will eventually try to speed up the process with shortcuts. A visitor who already keeps a Truth Social account might sail through the system with a gold star by their name. The idea almost writes itself. Washington loves a filter that pretends to simplify things even when it solves nothing.
The timing adds another twist. The United States will host the World Cup next summer. Millions of tourists are planning their travel. The new welcome message reads like an interrogation. Visitors must provide five years of online activity before they can book a rental car. A few nations may pause before hitting submit. A few may choose to stay home.
Where Real Risk Meets Federal Reality
Social media does reveal red flags. People share far more than they should. People admit to views they do not expect anyone to read closely. A smarter process could use that information well. The challenge is government execution. A bold federal tech launch often ends in a crash screen. A project of this size could overwhelm any agency that attempts it.
The policy leaves me amused and uneasy at the same time. I support stronger borders. I support clear standards. America needs both. What troubles me is the picture of a handful of analysts scrolling through an avalanche of content. The work is endless and the definitions are vague. A single meme could cause a delay. A single joke could spark a review panel.
People want security that works. People want a border that feels competent. America deserves both. The idea of protecting the country is serious even when the method looks like comedy. If the future of homeland security involves interns with headphones who scroll foreign TikToks until their eyes blur then our enemies will not be intimidated. They will be entertained.
I end up entertained by the entire thing, even while I want it to work.
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