The United States Refuses Visas to Former European Union Official and Others Over Online Platform Regulations
American diplomatic officials declared it would refuse entry permits to five individuals, including a former EU commissioner, for reportedly seeking to "force" US-based online companies into suppressing opinions they oppose.
"These radical activists and aggressive non-profits have advanced censorship crackdowns by other governments - in each case focusing on US voices and US firms," remarked Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Thierry Breton suggested that a "targeted campaign" was taking place.
Breton was described as the "key designer" of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which mandates speech regulations on social media firms.
A Divisive Regulation
Yet, it has angered certain right-leaning Americans who view it as an attempt to silence conservative viewpoints. EU authorities rejects this characterization.
The official has been in conflict with Elon Musk, owner of platform X, over obligations to follow EU rules.
The European Commission recently fined X €120m over its blue tick badges – the first fine under the DSA. It said the platform's system was "misleading" because the firm was not "properly authenticating users".
In response, the platform blocked the Commission from running advertisements on its platform.
Reactions and Broader Bans
Reacting to the visa ban, the former commissioner wrote on X: "Addressing the US: Speech suppression does not lie where you think it is."
Another listed individual, who heads the UK-based Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was also listed.
US Undersecretary of State Sarah B Rogers accused the GDI of using US taxpayer money "to exhort suppression and blacklisting of US expression and media".
A representative for the group characterized the visa sanctions as "an authoritarian attack on free expression and an egregious act of government censorship".
"Their actions today are immoral, illegal, and un-American," they stated.
Another figure of the an online hate watchdog, a non-governmental organization that fights digital hatred and false information, was similarly issued a ban.
The undersecretary labeled Mr Ahmed a "key collaborator with campaigns to weaponize the government against American people".
Additionally facing restrictions were Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of a German organization, which the US officials said helped enforce the DSA.
Responding, the two leaders called it an "attempt to silence by a administration that is increasingly disregarding the legal principles".
"We will not be intimidated by a government that uses claims of suppression to silence those who stand up for fundamental freedoms," they concluded.
Policy Justification
Rubio said that steps had been taken to impose entry bans on "representatives of the international suppression network" who would be "generally barred from entering the United States".
"President Trump has been explicit that his national sovereignty diplomatic stance opposes violations of American sovereignty. Extraterritorial overreach by foreign censors targeting US expression is no exception," he affirmed.