US Imposes Visa Bans on Five Europeans Over Alleged Pressure on Tech Platforms
A long-simmering transatlantic fight over online speech spilled into immigration policy this week, as Washington moved to block several prominent European figures accused of pressuring US tech firms over content moderation.
The US State Department said it has imposed visa restrictions on five Europeans it accuses of leading efforts to coerce American technology companies into censoring or suppressing US viewpoints online. The move was announced Tuesday (Dec. 23) by Secretary of State Marco Rubio as part of what the department described as a broader push against foreign influence over American speech on digital platforms.
In a press statement announcing the action, Rubio said the individuals targeted are “radical activists” who have “led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose.” He added that the department determined that their “entry, presence, or activities in the United States have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”
The restrictions were imposed under US immigration law, rather than through sanctions on companies or new platform regulations. The State Department said it could expand the list if other foreign actors “do not reverse course.”
Who was banned and why?
The individuals, named by Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers in a series of posts on X, are Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate; Josephine Ballon and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, leaders of the German group HateAid; Clare Melford, head of the Global Disinformation Index, and Thierry Breton, former European Union commissioner responsible for digital policy.
Much of the dispute revolves around the EU’s Digital Services Act, or DSA, which took effect in 2022. The law requires large platforms to take stronger action against illegal content, improve transparency around advertising, and give regulators and researchers more insight into how content spreads online.
Rogers said Breton played a central role in shaping the DSA, which she linked to warnings issued to X owner Elon Musk last year over what EU officials saw as the possible “amplification of harmful content” ahead of a livestreamed interview with President Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign.
Responses from Europe
European officials moved quickly to push back against the US decision, framing it as an attack on the EU’s regulatory independence rather than a defense of free speech.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the measures on X, characterizing them as “intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty.” Macron emphasized that the EU’s digital rules were adopted through a “democratic and sovereign process” and are not intended to be “determined outside Europe.”
The European Commission echoed this sentiment in an official statement on Wednesday, strongly condemning the travel restrictions. “Freedom of expression is a fundamental right in Europe and a shared core value with the United States across the democratic world,” the Commission stated, asserting its “sovereign right to regulate economic activity in line with our democratic values.” Brussels confirmed it has requested formal clarifications from Washington, warning that “if needed, we will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures.”
Individual targets also spoke out. Breton rejected the US characterization, noting that the Digital Services Act was adopted unanimously by all 27 EU member states. Writing on X, he said, “To our American friends: ‘Censorship isn’t where you think it is.’”
France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, also condemned the visa restrictions, saying the DSA was designed to ensure that “what is illegal offline is also illegal online.” He added that the law “has absolutely no extraterritorial reach and in no way affects the United States.”
Other European officials echoed that view, framing the DSA as a safety and transparency measure rather than a censorship tool.
A clash months in the making
The move follows earlier warnings from Washington. In August, the Trump administration publicly floated the idea of sanctions, including visa restrictions, against EU officials involved in enforcing the Digital Services Act. At the time, US officials argued the law risked chilling American speech and unfairly targeting US tech firms, while EU leaders defended it as a necessary guardrail for the digital economy.
Tensions rose again this month after the European Commission issued its first-ever DSA fine, penalizing X €120 million for transparency and data-access failures. Days later, X shut down the Commission’s advertising account, escalating a public feud between Brussels and Elon Musk.
Trump Media has announced a $6 billion merger with fusion startup TAE Technologies, signaling a pivot from social media to clean energy and AI infrastructure.
