🔗 Share this article The United States Denies Entry Permits to Former European Union Official and Additional Figures Regarding Online Platform Policies The former top tech regulator, who has been in conflict with Elon Musk. American diplomatic officials announced it would refuse entry permits to a group of five people, including a ex-European Union official, for reportedly seeking to "coerce" US-based online companies into silencing opinions they oppose. "These individuals and weaponized NGOs have advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states - in each case targeting US voices and US firms," remarked Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Thierry Breton remarked that a "targeted campaign" was taking place. Officials labeled Breton as the "mastermind" of the European Union's online content law, which imposes content moderation on digital platforms. A Divisive Regulation Yet, the act has frustrated certain right-leaning Americans who view it as an attempt to silence right-wing opinions. EU authorities denies this. Breton has clashed with the billionaire entrepreneur, the world's richest man, over obligations to adhere to EU rules. The European Commission imposed a penalty on X €120m over its verification system – the inaugural penalty under the DSA. Regulators stated the platform's system was "misleading" because the firm was not "properly authenticating users". As a countermove, Musk's site prevented the Commission from running advertisements on its platform. Reactions and Broader Bans Reacting to the visa ban, the former commissioner wrote on X: "Addressing the US: Speech suppression does not lie where you think it is." Clare Melford, who leads the British Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was included in the sanctions. US Undersecretary of State Sarah B Rogers accused the GDI of using US taxpayer money "to exhort suppression and blacklisting of American speech and press". A representative for the group characterized the entry bans as "a repressive move on free expression and a blatant example of government censorship". "These measures today are unethical, illegal, and contrary to American values," they stated. Another figure of the an online hate watchdog, a nonprofit that combats digital hatred and false information, was similarly issued a ban. Rogers labeled Mr Ahmed a "key collaborator with efforts to misuse the state apparatus against US citizens". Additionally facing restrictions were Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of a German organization, which the US officials said helped enforce 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 refuse to be silenced by a state that uses claims of suppression to muzzle those who defend fundamental freedoms," they concluded. Official Rationale The Secretary of State stated that steps had been taken to impose entry bans on "representatives of the international suppression network" who would be "typically prohibited from entering the United States". "The administration has been clear that his America First diplomatic stance opposes infringements of American sovereignty. Extraterritorial overreach by overseas regulators targeting American speech is no exception," he added.
The former top tech regulator, who has been in conflict with Elon Musk. American diplomatic officials announced it would refuse entry permits to a group of five people, including a ex-European Union official, for reportedly seeking to "coerce" US-based online companies into silencing opinions they oppose. "These individuals and weaponized NGOs have advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states - in each case targeting US voices and US firms," remarked Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Thierry Breton remarked that a "targeted campaign" was taking place. Officials labeled Breton as the "mastermind" of the European Union's online content law, which imposes content moderation on digital platforms. A Divisive Regulation Yet, the act has frustrated certain right-leaning Americans who view it as an attempt to silence right-wing opinions. EU authorities denies this. Breton has clashed with the billionaire entrepreneur, the world's richest man, over obligations to adhere to EU rules. The European Commission imposed a penalty on X €120m over its verification system – the inaugural penalty under the DSA. Regulators stated the platform's system was "misleading" because the firm was not "properly authenticating users". As a countermove, Musk's site prevented the Commission from running advertisements on its platform. Reactions and Broader Bans Reacting to the visa ban, the former commissioner wrote on X: "Addressing the US: Speech suppression does not lie where you think it is." Clare Melford, who leads the British Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was included in the sanctions. US Undersecretary of State Sarah B Rogers accused the GDI of using US taxpayer money "to exhort suppression and blacklisting of American speech and press". A representative for the group characterized the entry bans as "a repressive move on free expression and a blatant example of government censorship". "These measures today are unethical, illegal, and contrary to American values," they stated. Another figure of the an online hate watchdog, a nonprofit that combats digital hatred and false information, was similarly issued a ban. Rogers labeled Mr Ahmed a "key collaborator with efforts to misuse the state apparatus against US citizens". Additionally facing restrictions were Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of a German organization, which the US officials said helped enforce 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 refuse to be silenced by a state that uses claims of suppression to muzzle those who defend fundamental freedoms," they concluded. Official Rationale The Secretary of State stated that steps had been taken to impose entry bans on "representatives of the international suppression network" who would be "typically prohibited from entering the United States". "The administration has been clear that his America First diplomatic stance opposes infringements of American sovereignty. Extraterritorial overreach by overseas regulators targeting American speech is no exception," he added.