The United States Denies Visas to Ex-EU Commissioner and Others Concerning Online Platform Rules
American diplomatic officials stated it would deny visas to five individuals, among them a ex-European Union official, for reportedly seeking to "force" US-based online companies into suppressing perspectives they disagree with.
"These individuals and aggressive non-profits have advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states - in each case focusing on American speakers and American companies," stated US diplomat the official.
Thierry Breton implied that a "witch hunt" was taking place.
Officials labeled Breton as the "mastermind" of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which mandates speech regulations on digital platforms.
A Contentious Law
Yet, the act has frustrated some US conservatives who see it as seeking to censor right-wing opinions. Brussels denies this.
Breton has clashed with the billionaire entrepreneur, the world's richest man, over requirements to adhere to European regulations.
EU regulators recently fined X €120m over its verification system – the inaugural penalty under the DSA. It said the platform's system was "deceptive" because the firm was not "meaningfully verifying users".
In response, Musk's site prevented the European body from making adverts on its platform.
Reactions and Broader Bans
Responding to the visa ban, the former commissioner wrote on X: "To our American friends: Censorship does not lie where you think it is."
Clare Melford, who heads the British disinformation research group, was also listed.
A senior US diplomat the official accused the GDI of using US taxpayer money "to exhort censorship and targeting of US expression and media".
A representative for the group characterized the entry bans as "an authoritarian attack on free expression and an egregious act of government censorship".
"Their actions today are unethical, unlawful, 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 false information, was similarly issued a ban.
The undersecretary called Mr Ahmed a "primary partner with efforts to weaponize the government against US citizens".
Also subject to bans were Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of a German organization, which the US officials said helped enforce the DSA.
In a statement, the two leaders described it as an "act of repression by a government that is increasingly disregarding the legal principles".
"We refuse to be silenced by a government that uses accusations of censorship to silence those who defend human rights," they added.
Official Rationale
Rubio said that steps had been taken to enact visa restrictions on "agents of the global censorship-industrial complex" who would be "typically prohibited from entering the United States".
"President Trump has been clear that his national sovereignty diplomatic stance opposes violations of US autonomy. Foreign-imposed regulations by overseas regulators aimed at US expression is no exception," he added.
