The US State Department stated it would deny visas to five people, including former EU commissioner Thierry Breton, accusing them of trying to 'coerce' American social media platforms into suppressing opposing viewpoints.
These radical activists and weaponized NGOs have advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states - in each case targeting American speakers and American companies, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement.
Breton, who was described as the 'mastermind' behind the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) that enforces content moderation on social media, suggested that what was happening resembled a 'witch hunt.'
Concerns have been raised, particularly among US conservatives, who accuse the DSA of enforcing a form of censorship on right-wing opinions—a claim that Brussels denies.
Breton has had notable conflicts with Elon Musk, especially regarding adhering to EU regulations.
The European Commission fined X €120 million ($105 million) for its allegedly deceptive blue tick system for users, marking the first penance under the DSA. Musk's platform retaliated by blocking the European Commission's adverts.
Reacting to the visa bans, Breton posted on X: To our American friends: Censorship isn't where you think it is.
Also included in the visa denials was Clare Melford of the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), which US Undersecretary of State Sarah B Rogers accused of using US taxpayer money for censorship purposes.
The GDI spokesperson condemned the decision as an authoritarian attack on free speech, calling it an infringement of democratic institutions and an immoral stance from the US government.
Imran Ahmed of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) was also subjected to a travel ban, labeled as a 'key collaborator' with the Biden Administration's supposed efforts to weaponize the government against its citizens.
Additionally, Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon from HateAid were banned, asserting their intent to defend human rights despite facing governmental repression.
Rubio stated that these restrictions would generally limit entry to the United States for those seen as part of the 'global censorship-industrial complex,' emphasizing an America First approach that rejects foreign overreach impacting American speech.
