The United States Rejects Visas to Former European Union Official and Others Regarding Online Platform Regulations
American diplomatic officials declared it would refuse entry permits to five individuals, among them a ex-European Union official, for allegedly seeking to "force" US-based online companies into suppressing viewpoints they oppose.
"These radical activists and aggressive non-profits have advanced censorship crackdowns by other governments - in each case focusing on US voices and American companies," stated US diplomat the official.
Thierry Breton suggested that a "targeted campaign" was underway.
Officials labeled Breton as the "mastermind" of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which mandates content moderation on social media firms.
A Divisive Regulation
Yet, the act has frustrated some US conservatives who see it as seeking to censor conservative viewpoints. EU authorities denies this.
Breton has clashed with the billionaire entrepreneur, the world's richest man, over requirements to adhere to 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 "deceptive" because the firm was not "properly authenticating users".
In response, the platform prevented the Commission from running advertisements on its platform.
Reactions and Broader Bans
Responding to the visa ban, the former commissioner wrote on X: "To our American friends: Speech suppression isn't where you think it is."
Clare Melford, who heads the British Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was included in the sanctions.
A senior US diplomat the official accused the GDI of using American public funds "to exhort suppression and blacklisting of American speech and media".
A GDI spokesperson said the visa sanctions as "a repressive move on free speech and an egregious act of state-led suppression".
"These measures today are unethical, unlawful, and un-American," they stated.
Another figure of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a non-governmental organization that combats online hate and false information, was also handed a ban.
The undersecretary labeled Mr Ahmed a "primary partner with campaigns to misuse the state apparatus against US citizens".
Additionally facing restrictions were Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of HateAid, which the US officials said aided in implementing the DSA.
Responding, the two CEOs called it an "attempt to silence by a administration that is showing disregard for the rule of law".
"We will not be intimidated by a state that uses accusations of censorship to silence those who stand up for fundamental freedoms," they added.
Official Rationale
The Secretary of State stated that action was initiated to impose visa restrictions on "representatives of the international suppression network" who would be "generally barred from entering the United States".
"The administration has been explicit that his America First foreign policy opposes infringements of US autonomy. Extraterritorial overreach by foreign censors targeting US expression is unacceptable," he added.
