US Denies Visas to Ex-EU Commissioner and Others Concerning Social Media Regulations

The US State Department declared it would refuse entry permits to five individuals, among them a former EU commissioner, for reportedly seeking to "force" American online companies into suppressing opinions they oppose.

"These individuals and aggressive non-profits have promoted censorship crackdowns by other governments - in each case targeting US voices and US firms," stated Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The former European tech regulator remarked that a "targeted campaign" was taking place.

Breton was described as the "key designer" of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes speech regulations on social media firms.

A Contentious Law

Yet, 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 Elon Musk, owner of platform X, over requirements to follow European regulations.

The European Commission imposed a penalty on X €120m over its blue tick badges – the inaugural penalty under the DSA. It said the platform's system was "misleading" because the firm was not "meaningfully verifying users".

In response, the platform prevented the European body from running advertisements on its platform.

Reactions and Broader Bans

Reacting to the entry restriction, the former commissioner wrote on X: "To our American friends: Censorship isn't where you think it is."

Another listed individual, who heads the UK-based disinformation research group, was also listed.

A senior US diplomat the official accused the GDI of using US taxpayer money "to exhort censorship and blacklisting of American speech and media".

A GDI spokesperson said the visa sanctions as "a repressive move on free speech and a blatant example of state-led suppression".

"These measures today are immoral, unlawful, and contrary to American values," they stated.

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

Rogers called Mr Ahmed a "primary partner with campaigns to weaponize the government against American people".

Also subject to bans were two executives of HateAid, which the State Department said helped enforce the DSA.

In a statement, the two CEOs called it an "attempt to silence by a administration that is showing disregard for the rule of law".

"We refuse to be silenced by a government that uses claims of suppression to silence those who defend fundamental freedoms," they added.

Official Rationale

Rubio said that action was initiated to enact visa restrictions on "agents of the global censorship-industrial complex" who would be "typically prohibited from entering the United States".

"President Trump has been explicit that his national sovereignty diplomatic stance rejects infringements of American sovereignty. Extraterritorial overreach by foreign censors aimed at US expression is no exception," he affirmed.