Would You Submit 5 Years Of Your Social Media History For A US Visa? (Naked City)

The latest edict from the Orwellian White House in which Australians and citizens from another 41 countries must now disclose five years of social media history in obtaining a US visa, might come as a shock to some. Then again the process has been taking place since 2019, when the bulk of the global community was first subject to this intrusion. Given Trump’s increasing xenophobia and his recent description of Somalis as ‘garbage’ it’s little wonder full scale ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four” has arrived just prior to 2026.

If you are a Somali wanting to visit America for the FIFA World Cup next year you might as well forget it. Likewise, if you are an Australian who has entertained hundreds of vicious (albeit highly amusing) anti-Trump memes on your Facebook feed you may well be getting nervous. Some 800,000 Australians visit the US each year, with another 100,000 residing there. All could be subject to a review of their social media by the peeping toms of US immigration.

It would seem physically impossible for those US bureaucrats to trawl through five years of every individual’s social media history, although some new sophisticated form of AI surveillance is likely to be applied. And then there are the additional requirements like providing phone numbers from the last five years, email addresses from the past decade, personal details of family members and assorted biometric information. There’s even a suggestion you might have to provide a DNA sample on arrival so be prepared to stick out your tongue. Good lord, do they even require your shoe size and waste measurements? Fatty Trump of course has only just indicated he would like to ban anybody considered obese from entering the country.

There is of course the opportunity to bypass all this pesky surveillance provided you have the odd million or two. Trump has just announced the magic ‘Trump Gold Card’. For a mere $15,000 Department Of Home Security processing fee, a background approval and a ‘contribution’ of $1 million, you’ll receive your U.S. Residency almost overnight – just in time to book your FIFA World Cup Final tickets at a chump change $9,000 apiece.

There is apparently a sixty-day review period for the new visa requirements. Going on media surveys and TV vox pops, the overwhelming feeling amongst most Australians is that it’s a gross invasion of privacy. Many have indicated their disgust by stating they would never visit the US if they were required to provide this highly personal information. Sorry kids, we ain’t going to Disneyland this summer, you’ll have to make do with Luna Park.

Many of those opposed also see it as part of Trump’s increasing attacks on free speech, in particular a clamp down on online debate.

The visa announcement does not seem to have affected the National Rugby League and their broadcast partner Channel 9. They continue to trumpet the season’s launch in that hellhole of sin, gambling and overpriced booze called Las Vegas – a city where you need to step over one of the thousands of homeless sleeping rough to get to some sleazy knock shop or casino. The Australian Rugby League did formally invite Trump to the opening game earlier this year so perhaps there will be some kind of special dispensation for all footy fans.

Already in 2025, US tourism has been in a dramatic decline with international arrivals dropping by 8 per cent. Rising prices and an adverse reaction to the MAGA regime have kept many away, in particular Canadians who once poured billions into cities like Miami, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It goes without saying their dislike of Trump is palpable.

Trump in his demented state has responded by accusing other countries of stealing potential tourists. It will be interesting to see just how this decline affects the FIFA World Cup in June, with the original expectation being that it would be a tourist bonanza. Who’s going to book flights and hotel rooms well in advance knowing that your Facebook page hosted a meme of Trump resembling a giant turd. There are also matches scheduled in Canada and Mexico so crossing the border to and fro could also turn out to be a real nightmare.

From a personal point of view, I’ve visited the US a number of times in the past and experienced both the good and the bad. The latter includes inadvertently shaking hands with the head of the KKK in Ville Platte Louisiana, and the good, attending a rally addressed by Bernie Sanders. There’s obviously a wealth of experience and adventure for anybody wanting to visit the USA and avoid the usual tourist routes. Maybe that’s just about to end.

My own Facebook page is littered with friends expressing their intense dislike of Trump and the MAGA gestapo and I have also voiced my intense dislike. If they want telephone numbers, I’ve got an old copy of the White Pages which contains millions and I’ll gladly pass that on. I would never give up the email addresses of friends and I’m keeping my shoe size secret. It doesn’t look like I’ll be sitting front row at the FIFA World Cup let alone watching a giant effigy of Trump go up in flames at Burning Man 2026.