"These radical activists and weaponized NGOs have advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states -- in each case targeting American speakers and American companies," the department said in a statement announcing the sanctions.
The measure targeted Thierry Breton, the former top tech regulator at the European Commission, who often clashed with tech tycoons such as Elon Musk over their obligations to follow EU rules.
Breton was described by the State Department as the "mastermind" of the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA), a major piece of legislation that imposes content moderation and other standards on major social media platforms operating in Europe.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X his country "strongly condemns" the visa restrictions, adding that Europe "cannot let the rules governing their digital space be imposed by others upon them".
The DSA has become a bitter rallying point for US conservatives who see it as a weapon of censorship against right-wing thought in Europe and beyond, an accusation the EU furiously denies.
"The Digital Services Act (DSA) was democratically adopted in Europe... it has absolutely no extraterritorial reach and in no way affects the United States," Barrot said.
The DSA stipulates that major platforms must explain content-moderation decisions, provide transparency for users and ensure researchers can carry out essential work, such as understanding how much children are exposed to dangerous content.
Breton, who left the European Commission in 2024, on X slammed the ban as a "witch hunt," comparing the situation to the US McCarthy era when officials were chased out of government for alleged ties to communism.
"To our American friends: Censorship isn't where you think it is," he added.
- 'Extraterritorial overreach' -
Washington has scaled up its attacks on EU regulations after Brussels earlier this month fined Musk's X for violating DSA rules on transparency in advertising and its methods for ensuring users were verified and actual people.
Last week the US government signaled that key European businesses could be targeted in response, listing Accenture, DHL, Mistral, Siemens and Spotify among others.
The visa ban also targeted Imran Ahmed of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit that fights online hate, misinformation, and disinformation that also fell in the crosshairs of Musk after his takeover of Twitter, later renamed X.
Also subject to the ban were Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of HateAid, a German organization that the State Department said functions as a trusted flagger for enforcing the DSA.
Clare Melford, who leads the UK-based Global Disinformation Index (GDI), rounded out the group.
Washington is also attacking the UK's Online Safety Act, Britain's equivalent of the DSA that seeks to impose content moderation requirements on major social media platforms.
The White House last week suspended implementation of a tech cooperation deal with Britain, saying it was in opposition to the UK's tech rules.
"President Trump has been clear that his America First foreign policy rejects violations of American sovereignty," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
"Extraterritorial overreach by foreign censors targeting American speech is no exception," he added.
The European laws curbing big tech... and irking Trump
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Dec 24, 2025 -
The European Union is back in the crosshairs of the Trump administration over its tech rules, which Washington denounced as an attempt to "coerce" American social media platforms into censoring viewpoints they oppose.
The US State Department said Tuesday it would deny visas to a former EU commissioner and four others, saying they "have advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states -- in each case targeting American speakers and American companies".
Trump has vowed to punish countries that seek to curb US big tech firms.
Brussels has adopted a powerful legal arsenal aimed at reining in tech giants -- namely through its Digital Markets Act (DMA) which covers competition and the Digital Services Act (DSA) on content moderation.
The EU has already slapped heavy fines on US behemoths including Apple, Meta and X under the new rules.
Here is a look at the EU rules drawing Trump's ire:
- Digital Services Act -
Rolled out in stages since 2023, the mammoth Digital Services Act forces online firms to aggressively police content in the 27 countries of the European Union -- or face major fines.
Aimed at protecting consumers from disinformation and hate speech as well as counterfeit or dangerous goods, it obliges platforms to swiftly remove illegal content or make it inaccessible.
The law instructs platforms to suspend users who frequently share illegal content such as hate speech -- a provision framed as "censorship" by detractors across the Atlantic.
Tougher rules apply to a designated list of "very large" platforms that include US giants Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google, Instagram, Microsoft, Snapchat and X.
These giants must assess dangers linked to their services regarding illegal content and privacy, set up internal risk mitigation systems, and give regulators access to their data to verify compliance.
Violators can face fines of up to six percent of global turnover, and the EU has the power to ban offending platforms from Europe for repeated non-compliance.
Elon Musk's X was hit with the first fine under the DSA on December 5, a 120-million-euro ($140 million) penalty for a lack of transparency over what the EU calls the deceptive design of its "blue checkmark" for supposedly verified accounts, and its failure to provide access to public data for researchers.
- Digital Markets Act -
Since March 2024, the world's biggest digital companies have faced strict EU rules intended to limit abuses linked to market dominance, favour the emergence of start-ups in Europe and improve options for consumers.
Brussels has so far named seven so-called gatekeepers covered by the Digital Markets Act: Google's Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, TikTok parent ByteDance, Facebook and Instagram parent Meta, Microsoft and travel giant Booking.
Gatekeepers can be fined for locking in customers to use pre-installed services, such as a web browser, mapping or weather information.
The DMA has forced Google to overhaul its search display to avoid favouring its own services -- such as Google flights or shopping.
It requires that users be able to choose what app stores they use -- without going via the dominant two players, Apple's App Store and Google Play.
And it has forced Apple to allow developers to offer alternative payment options directly to consumers -- outside of the App Store, hitting it with a fine of 500 million euros in April.
The DMA has also imposed interoperability between messaging apps WhatsApp and Messenger and competitors who request it.
The EU fined Meta 200 million euros in April over its "pay or consent" system after it violated rules on the use of personal data on Facebook and Instagram.
Failure to comply with the DMA can carry fines in the billions of dollars, reaching 20 percent of global turnover for repeat offenders.
- RGPD and AI -
The EU's data protection rules (RGPD) have also tripped up US tech giants, with Brussels issuing numerous fines since they came into force in 2018.
The rules require firms to seek the consent of users to collect personal data and to explain what it will be used for, and gives users the right to ask firms to delete personal data.
Fines for violations can go as high as 20 million euros, or four percent of a company's global turnover.
The EU has also adopted its AI act which will gradually bring in guardrails on using artificial intelligence in high-risk areas such as security, health and civic rights. In the face of pressure from the industry, the EU is considering weakening the measures and delaying their implementation.
EU 'strongly condemns' US sanctions against five Europeans
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Dec 24, 2025 -
The European Union and some member states reacted sharply Wednesday to US sanctions imposed on five European figures involved in regulating tech companies, including former European commissioner Thierry Breton.
They were responding after the US State Department announced Tuesday it would deny visas to the five, accusing them of seeking to "coerce" American social media platforms into censoring viewpoints they oppose.
France, Germany and Spain also condemned the news from Washington.
A statement from the Commission said: "We have requested clarifications from the US authorities and remain engaged. If needed, we will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures.
"Our digital rules ensure a safe, fair, and level playing field for all companies, applied fairly and without discrimination."
Breton, the former top tech regulator at the European Commission, often clashed with tycoons including Elon Musk over their obligations to follow EU rules.
The State Department has described him as the "mastermind" of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes content moderation and other standards on major social media platforms operating in Europe.
- 'Extraterritorial censorship' -
The DSA stipulates that major platforms must explain content-moderation decisions, provide transparency for users and ensure researchers can carry out essential work, such as understanding how much children are exposed to dangerous content.
But the act has become a bitter rallying point for US conservatives who see it as a weapon of censorship against right-wing thought in Europe and beyond, an accusation the EU furiously denies.
"The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X Tuesday.
French President Emmanuel Macron said 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," he added, saying Europe would defend its "regulatory autonomy".
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul wrote in a post on X Wednesday: "The DSA was democratically adopted by the EU for the EU -- it does not have extraterritorial effect."
The visa bans, he added, "are not acceptable".
Spain's foreign ministry also condemned the US measures, saying in a statement: "A safe digital space, free from illegal content and disinformation, is a fundamental value for democracy in Europe and a responsibility for everyone."
- A 'witch hunt' -
Breton himself drew parallels with McCarthyism, the communist witch hunt that shook the United States in the 1950s.
"Is McCarthy's witch hunt back?" he asked in a post on X, complete with a broomstick emoji.
"As a reminder: 90% of the European Parliament -- our democratically elected body -- and all 27 Member States unanimously voted for DSA," he added. "To our American friends: 'Censorship isn't where you think it is'."
Breton, before his time as a commissioner, served as finance minister in France and led several major French technology companies. And even after quitting the commission in 2024 he continued to exchange barbs online with Musk.
Stephane Sejourne, his successor in charge of the EU's internal market, said on X that "no sanction will silence the sovereignty of the European peoples".
The visa ban also targeted British national Imran Ahmed of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit that fights online misinformation; and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of HateAid, a German organisation that the State Department said functions as a trusted flagger for enforcing the DSA.
Clare Melford, who leads the UK-based Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was also on the list.
A British government spokesperson said: "While every country has the right to set its own visa rules, we support the laws and institutions which are working to keep the Internet free from the most harmful content."
A statement from HateAid called the US government decision an "act of repression by an administration that increasingly disregards the rule of law and tries to silence its critics with all its might".
A GDI spokesperson said the measures were "an egregious act of government censorship" as well as "immoral, unlawful, and un-American".
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