🔗 Share this article The United States Rejects Visas to Former European Union Official and Others Concerning Online Platform Rules Thierry Breton, who has clashed with the owner of platform X. American diplomatic officials declared it would refuse entry permits to five individuals, among them a former EU commissioner, for reportedly seeking to "pressure" US-based social media platforms into curtailing perspectives they disagree with. "These radical activists and aggressive non-profits have promoted censorship crackdowns by foreign states - in each case focusing on US voices and American companies," stated US diplomat Marco Rubio. The former European tech regulator remarked that a "witch hunt" was underway. Breton was described as the "architect" of the European Union's online content law, which mandates content moderation on social media firms. A Divisive Regulation Yet, the act has frustrated some US conservatives who see it as an attempt to silence right-wing opinions. EU authorities rejects this characterization. The official has been in conflict with the billionaire entrepreneur, the world's richest man, over requirements to adhere to European regulations. EU regulators imposed a penalty on X 120 million euros over its blue tick badges – the first fine under the DSA. It said the platform's system was "deceptive" because the firm was not "properly authenticating users". As a countermove, Musk's site prevented the European body from running advertisements on its platform. Reactions and Broader Bans Responding to the visa ban, Breton posted on X: "To our American friends: Censorship does not lie where you think it is." Another listed individual, who leads the UK-based Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was included in the sanctions. US Undersecretary of State the official alleged the GDI of using American public funds "to exhort suppression and targeting of American speech and media". A GDI spokesperson characterized the entry bans as "an authoritarian attack on free speech and a blatant example of government censorship". "These measures today are immoral, illegal, and contrary to American values," the spokesperson added. Imran Ahmed of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a non-governmental organization that combats digital hatred and misinformation, was similarly issued a ban. The undersecretary called Mr Ahmed a "primary partner with efforts to misuse the state apparatus against US citizens". Also subject to bans were Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of HateAid, which the US officials said aided in implementing the DSA. Responding, the two leaders called it an "attempt to silence by a government that is showing disregard for the legal principles". "We refuse to be silenced by a government that uses claims of suppression to muzzle those who defend fundamental freedoms," they concluded. Policy Justification Rubio said that steps had been taken to impose visa restrictions on "agents of the global censorship-industrial complex" who would be "typically prohibited from entering the United States". "The administration has been explicit that his America First diplomatic stance opposes infringements of American sovereignty. Extraterritorial overreach by overseas regulators targeting US expression is no exception," he added.
Thierry Breton, who has clashed with the owner of platform X. American diplomatic officials declared it would refuse entry permits to five individuals, among them a former EU commissioner, for reportedly seeking to "pressure" US-based social media platforms into curtailing perspectives they disagree with. "These radical activists and aggressive non-profits have promoted censorship crackdowns by foreign states - in each case focusing on US voices and American companies," stated US diplomat Marco Rubio. The former European tech regulator remarked that a "witch hunt" was underway. Breton was described as the "architect" of the European Union's online content law, which mandates content moderation on social media firms. A Divisive Regulation Yet, the act has frustrated some US conservatives who see it as an attempt to silence right-wing opinions. EU authorities rejects this characterization. The official has been in conflict with the billionaire entrepreneur, the world's richest man, over requirements to adhere to European regulations. EU regulators imposed a penalty on X 120 million euros over its blue tick badges – the first fine under the DSA. It said the platform's system was "deceptive" because the firm was not "properly authenticating users". As a countermove, Musk's site prevented the European body from running advertisements on its platform. Reactions and Broader Bans Responding to the visa ban, Breton posted on X: "To our American friends: Censorship does not lie where you think it is." Another listed individual, who leads the UK-based Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was included in the sanctions. US Undersecretary of State the official alleged the GDI of using American public funds "to exhort suppression and targeting of American speech and media". A GDI spokesperson characterized the entry bans as "an authoritarian attack on free speech and a blatant example of government censorship". "These measures today are immoral, illegal, and contrary to American values," the spokesperson added. Imran Ahmed of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a non-governmental organization that combats digital hatred and misinformation, was similarly issued a ban. The undersecretary called Mr Ahmed a "primary partner with efforts to misuse the state apparatus against US citizens". Also subject to bans were Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of HateAid, which the US officials said aided in implementing the DSA. Responding, the two leaders called it an "attempt to silence by a government that is showing disregard for the legal principles". "We refuse to be silenced by a government that uses claims of suppression to muzzle those who defend fundamental freedoms," they concluded. Policy Justification Rubio said that steps had been taken to impose visa restrictions on "agents of the global censorship-industrial complex" who would be "typically prohibited from entering the United States". "The administration has been explicit that his America First diplomatic stance opposes infringements of American sovereignty. Extraterritorial overreach by overseas regulators targeting US expression is no exception," he added.