‘Censorship isn't where you think it is’: US denies visa to former EU commissioner, calls him ‘radical activist and...’

The United States has denied visas to five people, including a former EU commissioner, for violating some social media rules in America. The US State Department alleged that the five men were 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.

The former top tech regulator at the European Commission, Thierry Breton, called it some sort of "witch hunt". 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 firms. Reacting to the visa ban, Breton posted on X: "To our American friends: Censorship isn't where you think it is."

In response to this, the French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X, "France condemns the visa restriction measures taken by the United States against Thierry Breton and four other European figures. These measures amount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty. The European Union’s digital regulations were adopted following a democratic and sovereign process by the European Parliament and the Council."

"They apply within Europe to ensure fair competition among platforms, without targeting any third country, and to ensure that what is illegal offline is also illegal online. The rules governing the European Union’s digital space are not meant to be determined outside Europe. Together with the European Commission and our European partners, we will continue to defend our digital sovereignty and our regulatory autonomy," he added.

In the past, Breton has clashed with Elon Musk, the world's richest man and owner of X, over obligations to follow EU rules. In return, Musk blocked him from making adverts on the social media platform.