An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-11
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Ollie Crowe (FF), Industrial and Commercial Panel

As Members will have seen, it was reported yesterday that the US customs and border protection is adding social media as a mandatory data element of the electronic system for travel authorisation applications which tourists from dozens of counties, including Ireland, require when travelling to the United States. The data element will require applicants to provide their social media for the last five years. The criteria as cited on the US federal register are so wide-ranging that tourists or business visitors could be stopped based simply on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok posts critical of the US. There has already been a great deal of criticism of this proposal and it is clearly warranted. This is a massive overreach from a country which has long prided itself on free speech. Given the close economic ties between Ireland and the United States, with US companies employing 245,000 people in Ireland, this is obviously particularly important for us. Those economic ties have been built on free travel between our countries with very few restrictions. We must ensure that remains the case. It is important to note that currently, this is only a proposal. In the notice published regarding it, custom and border control said it would accept public comments on the proposal for the next 60 days before a final decision is made. Having said that, it is potentially a very damaging proposal. We need to use that timeframe for an EU response. It needs to be made clear at that level that this proposal is unworkable and illogical. I would be grateful if the Leader of the House would raise this with the Department of foreign affairs and the relevant Ministers.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-12-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:27+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-11