"Getty Images The US State Department said it would deny visas to five people, including a former EU commissioner, for seeking to "coerce" American social media platforms into suppressing viewpoints they oppose. "These radical activists and weaponized NGOs have advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states - in each case targeting American speakers and American companies," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement."
"Breton was described by the State Department as the "mastermind" of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes content moderation on social media companies. However, it has angered some US conservatives who see it as seeking to censor right-wing opinions. Brussels denies this. Breton has clashed with Elon Musk, the world's richest man and owner of X, over obligations to follow EU rules. The European Commission recently fined X 120m (105m) over its blue tick badges - the first fine under the DSA."
"It said the platform's blue tick system was "deceptive" because the firm was not "meaningfully verifying users". In response, Musk's site blocked the Commission from making adverts on its platform. Reacting to the visa ban, Breton posted on X: "To our American friends: Censorship isn't where you think it is." Clare Melford, who leads the UK-based Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was also listed."
The US State Department announced visa denials for five people, including former EU commissioner Thierry Breton and GDI leader Clare Melford, for allegedly seeking to coerce American social media platforms into suppressing viewpoints. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said activists and NGOs advanced censorship crackdowns targeting American speakers and companies. Breton was identified as the "mastermind" of the EU's Digital Services Act, a law imposing content moderation that some US conservatives claim censors right-wing opinions, which Brussels denies. The European Commission fined X €120m over deceptive blue-tick verification; X blocked Commission adverts in response. The GDI called the sanctions an authoritarian attack on free speech.
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