All tourists – including those from Britain – will have to undergo a social media screening before being allowed entry into the US under new plans being considered by the country’s border force.

At the moment, Britons are among those who can visit for up to 90 days without a visa. They just have to obtain an electronic travel authorisation, known as an ESTA, for $40 (£30).

The potential social media mandate being proposed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would apply to anyone visiting, whether they require a visa or not.

According to a notice published in America’s federal register on Tuesday, foreign tourists would need to provide their social media from the last five years.

It will be “mandatory” to hand over the information, and other details – including email addresses and telephone numbers used in the last five years, as well as the names, addresses, numbers, and birthdays of family members – will also be required.

Currently, as part of the ESTA application process, a tourist from Britain would have to provide an email address, home address, phone number, and emergency contact details. If approved, the ESTA lasts for two years.

CBP is proposing that moving forward, ESTA applications would require a selfie.

It further wants to collect biometrics – face, fingerprints DNA and iris – as part of the ESTA application. It currently only records face and fingerprints upon arrival at the US border.

The proposed changes are open for public consultation for 60 days.

So much for free speech?

There have been several reports of travellers already having been denied entry into the US over social media posts and messages found on their personal devices after President Donald Trump took office in January.

This includes a French scientist who was turned away at the US border in March after messages “that reflect hatred toward Trump and can be described as terrorism” were found on his phone.

Despite Mr Trump vowing to “restore freedom of speech” on online platforms and end “federal censorship” when he took office, he has found himself at the centre of various free speech rows since.

In September, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was taken off-air by Disney-owned ABC over comments he made about the assassination of the right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk.

Mr Kimmel accused the Trump administration and its allies of “working very hard to capitalise on the murder of Charlie Kirk”, with the president among those to pin it on left-wing extremism.

At the time, Mr Trump suggested certain networks should have their licenses revoked over a lack of support for him.

Mr Kimmel’s show was reinstated less than a week after his suspension following widespread backlash from celebrities and viewers.

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And in April, Harvard University sued the Trump administration for seeking “unprecedented and improper” control of the school, after it froze $2.6bn (£1.9bn) of its federal funding.

Harvard’s lawsuit accused the government of waging a retaliation campaign against the university after it rejected a list of 10 demands from a federal antisemitism task force, which included sweeping changes related to campus protests, academics and admissions.

A judge ruled in September that the Trump administration’s freeze of billions in research funding to Harvard was unconstitutional and retaliatory, a decision the US government vowed to appeal.

An agreement has not yet been reached, so the fight between the Ivy League university and Mr Trump rages on.

Iran and Egypt have complained after FIFA scheduled a World Cup match between the two nations in Seattle to coincide with the city’s LGBTQ+ Pride festival.

Seattle’s PrideFest 2026, which organisers say regularly sees more than 200,000 participants, takes place on 27 and 28 June – immediately following the match.

Local organisers have said the 26 June game at the Seattle Stadium will include a “once-in-a-lifetime moment to showcase and celebrate LGBTQIA+ communities in Washington”.

In Iran, where gay couples can face the death penalty, the president of Iran’s Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, condemned the decision to use Seattle as a venue and the timing of the match.

Mr Taj told Iranian state TV: “Both Egypt and we have objected, because this is an unreasonable and illogical move that essentially signals support for a particular group, and we must definitely address this point.”

He said Iran would bring up the issue at a FIFA Council meeting in Qatar next week.

The football federation in Egypt, where Human Rights Watch says people from LGBTQ+ communities face persecution, said in a statement that it had written to FIFA “categorically rejecting any activities related to supporting homosexuality during the match between the Egyptian national team and Iran.”

The letter also stated: “Information had circulated indicating the local organising committee’s decision and plans to hold some activities related to supporting homosexuality during that match” and the federation “completely rejects such activities, which directly contradict the cultural, religious and social values in the region, especially in Arab and Islamic societies”.

In Seattle, the local organising committee said it was “moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament,” having already promoted an art contest ahead of the match.

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It added: “We get to show the world that in Seattle, everyone is welcome.”

Seattle PrideFest has been organised in the city since 2007 by a nonprofit group which designated the 26 June match for celebration before FIFA carried out the World Cup draw on Friday.

On Saturday, FIFA announced the Egypt-Iran game had been allocated to Seattle instead of Vancouver, where the teams’ group rivals Belgium and New Zealand will play at the same time.

FIFA has been asked for a comment.

The Duchess of Sussex has been able to contact her estranged father in hospital via a letter, her spokesperson has confirmed.

Thomas Markle, who according to reports has had his left leg amputated while in the Philippines, had said he did not want to die while distanced from his daughter.

Mr Markle also expressed his desire to meet his two grandchildren and Prince Harry.

Meghan has been estranged from her father since her 2018 wedding when he was caught staging paparazzi photos in the run-up to the event.

In a statement, her spokesperson appeared to criticise her father’s ongoing relationship with tabloids and the media.

The duchess’s spokesperson said: “Given that a Daily Mail reporter has remained at her father’s bedside throughout, broadcasting each interaction and breaching clear ethical boundaries, it has been exceedingly difficult for the duchess to contact her father privately, despite her efforts over the past several days.

“With the support of reliable and trusted contacts, her correspondence is now safely in his hands.”

It is understood the royal contacted reporters at the Mail to provide any means of contacting her father – as well as the name of the hospital he is staying at but is said to have not received a response. She is understood to have called several hospitals in the country but was unable to locate her father.

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Her latest statement comes after The Mail On Sunday appeared to refute a statement from Meghan’s spokesperson last Friday that she had “reached out” to her father.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Daily Mail’s parent company DMG Media said the journalist in question and Mr Markle had a “close relationship” since 2018 and it was Mr Markle who contacted them when he was taken ill and asked for them to travel to the Philippines to be with him.

“Nothing has been published without his specific consent, and that of his son,” they said, adding that the journalist “confirmed to the Duchess of Sussex’s representative that Mr Markle does not have an active email address but that his phone number, which the duchess has previously used for him, remains unchanged”.

They said the reporter has “made clear that if she can do anything to facilitate contact between Mr Markle and his daughter to have a conversation, then she would be happy to do so”.

“Any suggestion we have ‘puppeteered’ Mr Markle is entirely false and strongly denied,” the spokesperson added.

The Duchess of Sussex gave up her HRH (Her Royal Highness) title along with husband Prince Harry when they stepped down as senior royals in March 2020.