🔗 Share this article US Denies Entry Permits to Ex-EU Commissioner and Others Regarding Social Media Policies Thierry Breton, has previously clashed with Elon Musk. The US State Department announced it would refuse entry permits to five individuals, among them a former EU commissioner, for reportedly seeking to "force" US-based social media platforms into suppressing viewpoints they disagree with. "These individuals and weaponized NGOs have advanced suppression campaigns by other governments - in each case targeting US voices and US firms," remarked Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Thierry Breton remarked that a "witch hunt" was taking place. Officials labeled Breton as the "key designer" of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which enforces speech regulations on digital platforms. A Contentious Law Yet, it has angered some US conservatives who view it as an attempt to silence right-wing opinions. EU authorities rejects this characterization. The official has been in conflict with the billionaire entrepreneur, owner of platform X, over requirements to follow EU rules. EU regulators imposed a penalty on X 120 million euros over its blue tick badges – the first fine under the DSA. Regulators stated the platform's system was "deceptive" because the firm was not "meaningfully verifying users". As a countermove, the platform prevented the European body from running advertisements on its platform. Reactions and Broader Bans Reacting 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 leads the British Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was also listed. US Undersecretary of State Sarah B Rogers accused the GDI of using American public funds "to exhort censorship and targeting of American speech and press". A GDI spokesperson characterized the visa sanctions as "a repressive move on free expression and an egregious act of government censorship". "These measures today are unethical, illegal, and contrary to American values," the spokesperson added. Another figure of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit that fights digital hatred and false information, was also handed a ban. The undersecretary labeled Mr Ahmed a "key collaborator with efforts to weaponize the state apparatus against US citizens". Additionally facing restrictions were Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of a German organization, which the US officials said aided in implementing the DSA. Responding, the two leaders described it as 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 stand up for human rights," they added. Official Rationale The Secretary of State stated that steps had been taken to impose entry bans on "representatives of the global censorship-industrial complex" who would be "generally barred from entering the United States". "President Trump has been explicit that his national sovereignty diplomatic stance opposes violations of US autonomy. Extraterritorial overreach by overseas regulators targeting US expression is unacceptable," he affirmed.
Thierry Breton, has previously clashed with Elon Musk. The US State Department announced it would refuse entry permits to five individuals, among them a former EU commissioner, for reportedly seeking to "force" US-based social media platforms into suppressing viewpoints they disagree with. "These individuals and weaponized NGOs have advanced suppression campaigns by other governments - in each case targeting US voices and US firms," remarked Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Thierry Breton remarked that a "witch hunt" was taking place. Officials labeled Breton as the "key designer" of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which enforces speech regulations on digital platforms. A Contentious Law Yet, it has angered some US conservatives who view it as an attempt to silence right-wing opinions. EU authorities rejects this characterization. The official has been in conflict with the billionaire entrepreneur, owner of platform X, over requirements to follow EU rules. EU regulators imposed a penalty on X 120 million euros over its blue tick badges – the first fine under the DSA. Regulators stated the platform's system was "deceptive" because the firm was not "meaningfully verifying users". As a countermove, the platform prevented the European body from running advertisements on its platform. Reactions and Broader Bans Reacting 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 leads the British Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was also listed. US Undersecretary of State Sarah B Rogers accused the GDI of using American public funds "to exhort censorship and targeting of American speech and press". A GDI spokesperson characterized the visa sanctions as "a repressive move on free expression and an egregious act of government censorship". "These measures today are unethical, illegal, and contrary to American values," the spokesperson added. Another figure of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit that fights digital hatred and false information, was also handed a ban. The undersecretary labeled Mr Ahmed a "key collaborator with efforts to weaponize the state apparatus against US citizens". Additionally facing restrictions were Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of a German organization, which the US officials said aided in implementing the DSA. Responding, the two leaders described it as 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 stand up for human rights," they added. Official Rationale The Secretary of State stated that steps had been taken to impose entry bans on "representatives of the global censorship-industrial complex" who would be "generally barred from entering the United States". "President Trump has been explicit that his national sovereignty diplomatic stance opposes violations of US autonomy. Extraterritorial overreach by overseas regulators targeting US expression is unacceptable," he affirmed.