US Refuses Visas to Ex-EU Commissioner and Additional Figures Regarding Social Media Regulations
American diplomatic officials declared it would refuse entry permits to a group of five people, among them a ex-European Union official, for allegedly seeking to "coerce" US-based social media platforms into suppressing viewpoints they disagree with.
"These individuals and weaponized NGOs have promoted suppression campaigns by foreign states - in each case targeting US voices and US firms," stated US diplomat the official.
The former European tech regulator suggested that a "targeted campaign" was occurring.
Breton was described as the "architect" of the European Union's online content law, which mandates speech regulations on social media firms.
A Contentious Law
Yet, it has angered some US conservatives who see it as an attempt to silence conservative viewpoints. Brussels denies this.
Breton has clashed with the billionaire entrepreneur, owner of platform X, over obligations to adhere to EU rules.
The European Commission 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 "properly authenticating users".
In response, Musk's site blocked the European body from running advertisements on its platform.
Reactions and Broader Bans
Reacting to the visa ban, Breton posted on X: "Addressing the US: Censorship does not lie where you think it is."
Another listed individual, who heads the British disinformation research group, was also listed.
A senior US diplomat the official accused the GDI of using US taxpayer money "to encourage suppression and targeting of US expression and press".
A representative for the group characterized the entry bans as "a repressive move on free speech and a blatant example of state-led suppression".
"These measures today are unethical, unlawful, and un-American," they stated.
Another figure of the an online hate watchdog, a nonprofit that combats digital hatred and false information, was also handed a ban.
The undersecretary labeled Mr Ahmed a "primary partner with campaigns to misuse the government against US citizens".
Additionally facing restrictions were two executives of HateAid, 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 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 human rights," they added.
Policy Justification
Rubio said that steps had been taken to enact visa restrictions 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 America First foreign policy rejects infringements of American sovereignty. Extraterritorial overreach by overseas regulators targeting American speech is no exception," he affirmed.
