The United States Denies Entry Permits to Ex-EU Commissioner and Others Concerning Social Media Rules
The US State Department announced it would deny visas to five individuals, among them a former EU commissioner, for allegedly seeking to "coerce" American social media platforms into suppressing viewpoints they oppose.
"These radical activists and aggressive non-profits have promoted suppression campaigns by other governments - in each case targeting US voices and US firms," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Thierry Breton suggested that a "targeted campaign" was underway.
Breton was described as the "mastermind" of the European Union's online content law, which mandates content moderation on social media firms.
A Contentious Law
However, it has angered some US conservatives who see it as seeking to censor conservative viewpoints. Brussels denies this.
The official has been in conflict with Elon Musk, the world's richest man, over obligations to follow EU rules.
The European Commission recently fined X 120 million euros over its verification system – the first fine under the DSA. It said the platform's system was "deceptive" because the firm was not "meaningfully verifying users".
In response, the platform blocked the Commission from making adverts on its platform.
Reactions and Broader Bans
Reacting to the entry restriction, the former commissioner wrote on X: "To our American friends: Speech suppression does not lie where you think it is."
Clare Melford, who leads the British Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was also listed.
A senior US diplomat Sarah B Rogers accused the GDI of using American public funds "to exhort censorship and blacklisting of US expression and media".
A representative for the group characterized the entry bans as "an authoritarian attack on free speech and a blatant example of government censorship".
"Their actions today are immoral, unlawful, and un-American," 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 labeled Mr Ahmed a "key collaborator with efforts to misuse the government against American people".
Additionally facing restrictions were two executives of HateAid, which the State Department said aided in implementing the DSA.
Responding, the two CEOs described it as an "act of repression by a government that is increasingly disregarding the legal principles".
"We will not be intimidated by a state that uses claims of suppression to silence those who stand up for human rights," they concluded.
Official Rationale
The Secretary of State stated that steps had been taken to enact entry bans on "agents of the international suppression network" who would be "typically prohibited from entering the United States".
"The administration has been explicit that his America First diplomatic stance opposes infringements of American sovereignty. Extraterritorial overreach by foreign censors targeting American speech is no exception," he added.
