US Bans Entry of Five Including Former EU Official: "Will Not Tolerate Big Tech Censorship"

Sanctions May Expand If Similar Cases Continue
Europe Pushes Back... France Condemns "Visa Restrictions"

The United States has banned entry to five Europeans, including Thierry Breton, the former European Union (EU) Commissioner for Internal Market, who led legislative efforts to regulate American Big Tech companies.

According to the Associated Press and other sources on the 23rd (local time), the U.S. State Department added former Commissioner Breton and four others, including nonprofit organization officials, to its list of individuals subject to visa restrictions.

European Union flag. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News

Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on the social networking service X (formerly Twitter), "For too long, European ideologues have led a coordinated effort to pressure U.S. platforms in order to punish American viewpoints they oppose." He added, "The Donald Trump administration will no longer tolerate these outrageous acts of extraterritorial censorship." Rubio also pointed out that these individuals have promoted censorship against Americans and American companies, potentially causing serious diplomatic repercussions.

Sarah Rogers, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, disclosed the identities of the five individuals subject to visa restrictions on social media. In addition to former Commissioner Breton, the list includes Annalena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of Germany’s anti-online hate organization HateAid, Clare Melford, founder of the UK-based disinformation watchdog GDI, and Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH).

Under Secretary Rogers described the restricted individuals as "those who incited censorship of American speech." She specifically referred to former Commissioner Breton as the mastermind behind the EU Digital Services Act (DSA). He led the enactment of the DSA in 2022.

This law, targeting U.S. Big Tech companies such as X, Meta, and Google, stipulates that platform companies may be fined up to 6% of their global revenue if they fail to control illegal content, hate speech, or disinformation online. In fact, earlier this month, the EU imposed a fine of 120 million euros on X for issues related to account verification and advertising policies.

The Trump administration has criticized EU regulations like the DSA on Big Tech as non-tariff trade barriers and as suppressing freedom of expression.

Last year, ahead of the U.S. presidential election, former Commissioner Breton caused a diplomatic stir by sending a warning letter to Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, urging him not to violate the DSA when Musk attempted to host a live-streamed debate on X with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The Trump administration has stated that if similar cases continue, it may expand the list of sanctioned individuals.

The entry ban has sparked backlash in Europe. On X, former Commissioner Breton noted that the DSA was passed unanimously by all 27 EU member states at the time, adding, "To our American friends, censorship is not where you think it is."

Jean-Noel Barrot, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, condemned the visa restrictions imposed on former Commissioner Breton and the other four individuals. On X, he stated that the DSA was enacted to ensure that what is illegal offline is also illegal online, emphasizing, "The DSA has absolutely no extraterritorial application and is unrelated to the United States."