When the government starts asking for your social media history at the border, it turns out people get interested in money that can't be tracked. The Trump administration's plan to require five years of social media records from visa-free foreign visitors is drawing fierce criticism and, perhaps not coincidentally, privacy-focused cryptocurrencies like Zcash (ZEC) are having an absolutely remarkable year.

Five Years of Tweets to Cross the Border

The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to make social media history a mandatory requirement for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization. This affects visitors from roughly 40 Visa Waiver Program countries, including the UK, Japan, Germany and Australia—not exactly the countries you'd typically associate with security threats.

The timing isn't random. The policy follows new restrictions imposed after the recent shooting of two National Guard members in Washington. Federal officials identified the suspect as an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021. President Donald Trump responded by calling for a "permanent" pause on migration from "all Third World Countries," a statement that's intensified scrutiny of all foreign travel rules.

Privacy Coins Are Having a Moment

Here's where it gets interesting for crypto investors. As governments expand monitoring of financial and online activity, people are pouring money into privacy-oriented cryptocurrencies. Zcash has surged 652% year-to-date, while Monero (XMR) is up 93%. To put that in perspective, those gains dwarf the returns from Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL) during multiple periods in 2025.

The privacy coin sector's combined market cap topped $59.8 billion in Q4 as trading volumes climbed. Zcash alone saw trading activity exceed $7 billion in November, a staggering increase of more than 1,100% in just three months.

The social media disclosure policy drew immediate backlash from the crypto community. Helius CEO Mert Mumtaz called it a "colossal breach of privacy." Many are comparing the proposal to recent European surveillance measures, highlighting growing anxiety over cross-border monitoring norms. Mumtaz captured the sentiment perfectly: "The sooner you understand this, the sooner you'll get encrypted money." That's basically the pitch for privacy coins in a nutshell.

Why Wall Street Prefers Zcash

Not all privacy coins are created equal in the eyes of institutional investors. Funds have shown a clear preference for Zcash over Monero, and the reason comes down to regulatory compliance. Zcash offers optional privacy, meaning users can choose whether transactions are public or private. That flexibility aligns better with compliance frameworks than Monero's enforced-privacy approach.

Zcash also has something Monero doesn't: it's the only privacy coin with a Grayscale trust. This gives regulated institutions a way to get exposure without directly holding the token—a crucial detail when you're managing other people's money and dealing with regulators.

Market observers note that investors seem to be positioning ahead of the 2027 regulatory cycle and Zcash's upcoming halving. Some analysts view the recent surge as an early bet that regulators might approve selectively private assets while cracking down on fully anonymous alternatives. It's a "split the difference" regulatory strategy that could leave Monero out in the cold.

The Tourism Toll

Beyond the crypto rally, there's a real economic cost to these tightening travel policies. The U.S. is projected to lose $12.5 billion in travel revenue this year, according to industry estimates cited by Bloomberg. Foreign visits are expected to drop to 67.9 million from 72.4 million in 2024.

Analysts blame the decline on several factors: lingering Covid-era policies, a strong U.S. dollar and the impact of immigration rhetoric. Adding mandatory social media disclosure could further deter travelers from high-spending markets. The policy comes alongside expanded reviews for H-1B and student visa applicants, who are now being encouraged to make their social profiles publicly viewable.

So we've got a policy that's raising privacy alarms, potentially damaging the tourism industry, and inadvertently boosting cryptocurrencies designed to operate outside government surveillance. Whether you think that's a reasonable trade-off probably depends on where you stand on privacy versus security—and maybe whether you bought Zcash last year.