US Rejects Entry Permits to Former European Union Official and Others Over Social Media Rules
The US State Department stated it would deny visas to five individuals, among them a ex-European Union official, for reportedly seeking to "force" American online companies into suppressing perspectives they oppose.
"These radical activists and aggressive non-profits have promoted suppression campaigns by other governments - in each case targeting US voices and American companies," stated Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Thierry Breton implied that a "targeted campaign" was occurring.
Breton was described as the "mastermind" of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes content moderation on digital platforms.
A Contentious Law
However, the act has frustrated certain right-leaning Americans who see it as seeking to censor conservative viewpoints. EU authorities denies this.
Breton has clashed with Elon Musk, owner of platform X, over obligations to follow EU rules.
EU regulators imposed a penalty on X 120 million euros over its blue tick badges – the inaugural penalty under the DSA. Regulators stated the platform's system was "deceptive" because the firm was not "meaningfully verifying users".
In response, Musk's site prevented the European body from running advertisements on its platform.
Reactions and Broader Bans
Reacting to the entry restriction, the former commissioner wrote on X: "To our American friends: Censorship isn't where you think it is."
Clare Melford, who heads the UK-based Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was included in the sanctions.
US Undersecretary of State the official alleged the GDI of using US taxpayer money "to exhort censorship and blacklisting of US expression and press".
A GDI spokesperson characterized the entry bans as "a repressive move on free expression and an egregious act of government censorship".
"Their actions today are immoral, illegal, and un-American," they stated.
Imran Ahmed of the an online hate watchdog, a non-governmental organization that fights online hate and misinformation, was similarly issued a ban.
The undersecretary called Mr Ahmed a "primary partner with campaigns to misuse the government against US citizens".
Additionally facing restrictions were Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of HateAid, which the State Department said helped enforce the DSA.
Responding, the two leaders called it an "act of repression by a administration that is showing disregard for the rule of law".
"We refuse to be silenced by a state that uses accusations of censorship to muzzle those who defend human rights," they concluded.
Policy Justification
Rubio said that action was initiated to enact visa restrictions on "representatives 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 rejects infringements of American sovereignty. Foreign-imposed regulations by foreign censors aimed at American speech is no exception," he affirmed.