Building on yesterday's State Department announcement, visa restrictions target five Europeans accused of coercing U.S. tech platforms into censoring American speech. New details highlight their organizations' roles in digital regulation, while Europe decries the move as an attack on sovereignty.
As reported earlier, the Trump administration on December 23 barred entry to five European figures: former EU commissioner Thierry Breton (France), Imran Ahmed (CEO, UK Center for Countering Digital Hate), Clare Melford (head, UK Global Disinformation Index), and Josephine Ballon and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg (leaders, German HateAid). Under Secretary Sarah Rogers labeled them part of a 'global censorship-industrial complex,' with Breton as the 'mastermind' behind the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA).
The DSA mandates platforms combat illegal content and hate speech, recently fining Elon Musk's X and prompting Breton's August 2024 warning to Musk over 'harmful content' amplification. Ahmed's CCDH worked with the Biden administration on a 'disinformation dozen' targeting anti-vaccine accounts, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s (now HHS secretary). Melford's GDI deemed U.S. outlets like the New York Post 'risky' for advertisers, receiving U.S. funding ended by Secretary Rubio. HateAid, a DSA 'trusted flagger,' targets right-wing content; Ballon stated on '60 Minutes': 'Free speech needs boundaries … Without boundaries, a very small group of people can rely on endless freedom to say anything that they want, while everyone else is scared and intimidated.'
Reactions intensified: French President Emmanuel Macron called the bans 'intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty.' Breton posted on X: 'To our American friends: "Censorship isn't where you think it is."' Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot insisted the DSA has 'no extraterritorial reach.'
This fits a May visa policy against foreign censorship actors, amid Trump efforts using immigration tools against online influence. Most Europeans use Visa Waiver, but these are flagged. Rubio has warned of Europe's free speech erosion and risks to Americans posting abroad; Trump cautioned: 'Europe has to be very careful … It’s very bad for the people.'
