US Rejects Visas to Ex-EU Commissioner and Others Concerning Online Platform Regulations

The US State Department announced it would deny visas to five individuals, including a ex-European Union official, for allegedly seeking to "force" American social media platforms into silencing viewpoints they oppose.

"These radical activists and aggressive non-profits have advanced censorship crackdowns by other governments - in each case targeting American speakers and US firms," remarked US diplomat Marco Rubio.

The former European tech regulator implied that a "witch hunt" 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 Divisive Regulation

However, it has angered some US conservatives who view it as an attempt to silence right-wing opinions. Brussels denies this.

The official has been in conflict with the billionaire entrepreneur, the world's richest man, over requirements to follow EU rules.

The European Commission imposed a penalty on 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 "meaningfully verifying users".

As a countermove, the platform prevented the European body from making adverts on its platform.

Responses and Additional Restrictions

Reacting to the visa ban, the former commissioner wrote on X: "Addressing the US: Censorship isn't where you think it is."

Another listed individual, who leads the UK-based Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was also listed.

US Undersecretary of State the official accused the GDI of using US taxpayer money "to exhort suppression and blacklisting of US expression and media".

A GDI spokesperson said the entry bans as "an authoritarian attack on free speech and an egregious act of state-led suppression".

"Their actions today are immoral, unlawful, and contrary to American values," the spokesperson added.

Imran Ahmed of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit that fights digital hatred and false information, was also handed a ban.

Rogers labeled Mr Ahmed a "primary partner with efforts to weaponize the government 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.

In a statement, the two CEOs called it an "act of repression by a administration that is showing disregard for the legal principles".

"We refuse to be silenced by a government that uses claims of suppression to muzzle those who defend human rights," they concluded.

Policy Justification

The Secretary of State stated that steps had been taken to enact entry bans on "representatives of the global censorship-industrial complex" who would be "generally barred from entering the United States".

"The administration has been clear that his national sovereignty foreign policy rejects infringements of American sovereignty. Foreign-imposed regulations by overseas regulators targeting American speech is no exception," he added.