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US Refuses Visas to Ex-EU Commissioner and Additional Figures Regarding Online Platform Regulations
The US State Department stated it would deny visas to a group of five people, including a former EU commissioner, for allegedly seeking to "pressure" American social media platforms into curtailing perspectives they oppose.
"These radical activists and aggressive non-profits have promoted censorship crackdowns by foreign states - in each case focusing on American speakers and US firms," remarked US diplomat Marco Rubio.
The former European tech regulator implied that a "witch hunt" was underway.
Breton was described as the "mastermind" of the European Union's online content law, which enforces speech regulations on social media firms.
A Contentious Law
Yet, the act has frustrated certain right-leaning Americans who view it as seeking to censor conservative viewpoints. Brussels denies this.
Breton has clashed with the billionaire entrepreneur, the world's richest man, over requirements to follow EU rules.
The European Commission recently fined X €120m over its blue tick badges – the first fine under the DSA. It said the platform's system was "misleading" because the firm was not "properly authenticating users".
In response, Musk's site blocked the Commission from running advertisements on its platform.
Reactions and Broader Bans
Responding 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 British Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was also listed.
A senior US diplomat the official alleged the GDI of using US taxpayer money "to encourage censorship and blacklisting of US expression and media".
A GDI spokesperson characterized the entry bans as "an authoritarian attack on free speech and a blatant example of state-led suppression".
"Their actions today are unethical, unlawful, and un-American," they stated.
Another figure of the an online hate watchdog, a nonprofit that fights online hate and false information, was similarly issued a ban.
The undersecretary 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 government that is showing disregard for the legal principles".
"We refuse to be silenced by a government that uses claims of suppression to muzzle those who defend fundamental freedoms," they added.
Official Rationale
The Secretary of State stated that action was initiated to enact visa restrictions on "representatives of the global censorship-industrial complex" who would be "typically prohibited from entering the United States".
"The administration has been explicit that his America First diplomatic stance opposes violations of American sovereignty. Foreign-imposed regulations by foreign censors aimed at American speech is no exception," he added.
Debra Briggs
A passionate photographer and educator with over a decade of experience in capturing life's moments through the lens.
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