US Rejects Entry Permits to Ex-EU Commissioner and Additional Figures Over Online Platform Rules
The US State Department announced it would deny visas to a group of five people, including a ex-European Union official, for reportedly seeking to "force" US-based social media platforms into silencing viewpoints they oppose.
"These individuals and weaponized NGOs have promoted suppression campaigns by foreign states - in each case targeting American speakers and US firms," remarked US diplomat Marco Rubio.
The former European tech regulator implied that a "targeted campaign" was underway.
Breton was described as the "mastermind" of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which mandates speech regulations on social media firms.
A Contentious Law
Yet, it has angered certain right-leaning Americans who view it as seeking to censor conservative viewpoints. Brussels denies this.
Breton has clashed with Elon Musk, the world's richest man, over requirements to follow EU rules.
EU regulators recently fined X €120m over its verification system – the first fine under the DSA. It said the platform's system was "misleading" because the firm was not "meaningfully verifying users".
As a countermove, the platform blocked the Commission from running advertisements on its platform.
Reactions and Broader Bans
Reacting to the entry restriction, Breton posted on X: "To our American friends: Speech suppression isn't where you think it is."
Clare Melford, who leads the British Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was also listed.
US Undersecretary of State the official alleged the GDI of using American public funds "to exhort suppression and blacklisting of US expression and media".
A representative for the group characterized the visa sanctions as "a repressive move on free speech and a blatant example of government censorship".
"These measures today are unethical, unlawful, and contrary to American values," they stated.
Imran Ahmed of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a non-governmental organization that combats digital hatred and false information, was also handed a ban.
The undersecretary called Mr Ahmed a "key collaborator with efforts to weaponize the state apparatus against US citizens".
Also subject to bans were two executives of HateAid, which the State Department said aided in implementing the DSA.
In a statement, the two CEOs described it as an "act of repression by a administration that is increasingly disregarding the rule of law".
"We will not be intimidated by a government that uses accusations of censorship to muzzle those who stand up for fundamental freedoms," they added.
Policy Justification
The Secretary of State stated that steps had been taken to enact entry bans on "representatives of the international suppression network" who would be "typically prohibited from entering the United States".
"President Trump has been clear that his national sovereignty foreign policy rejects violations of US autonomy. Extraterritorial overreach by overseas regulators aimed at US expression is no exception," he added.
