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The United States has denied visas to five individuals, including former European Union commissioner, Thierry Breton, accusing them of attempting to pressure American social media companies into censoring content.
In a statement, the US State Department said the individuals sought to coerce US-based platforms into suppressing viewpoints they oppose. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described them as part of what he called a global censorship-industrial complex targeting American speakers and companies.
Breton, the EU’s former top technology regulator, was singled out by US officials as the mastermind behind the EU’s Digital Services Act, DSA, which requires social media platforms to moderate content.
The legislation has drawn criticism from US conservatives who argue it suppresses right-wing speech, an allegation Brussels denies.
Responding to the visa ban, Breton said on X that a witch hunt was underway, telling American friends that censorship was not where they think it is.
Breton has previously clashed with Elon Musk, the owner of X, over compliance with EU regulations.
The European Commission recently fined X €120m under the DSA, citing concerns that its blue tick verification system was misleading.
Also included in the visa restrictions was Clare Melford, head of the UK-based Global Disinformation Index (GDI). US Undersecretary of State Sarah B Rogers accused the organisation of using taxpayer funds to encourage censorship and blacklist American media outlets.
A GDI spokesperson condemned the move as an “authoritarian attack on free speech,” calling the visa bans unlawful and un-American.
German digital rights group HateAid CEOs Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon were likewise banned. They described the decision as an act of repression aimed at silencing critics under the guise of defending free speech.
Rubio said the visa restrictions reflect President Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy, warning that foreign efforts to regulate or influence American speech would not be tolerated.
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