U.S. bans entry to five Europeans over "censorship" of American tech firms

The United States has barred entry to five European figures accused of pressuring American technology platforms to censor content, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday.

"For too long, ideologues in Europe have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they dislike," Rubio stated on social media platform X. He added that the Trump administration would no longer tolerate "these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship."

The sanctioned individuals include former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton, described by U.S. officials as the "chief ideologue" behind the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). Also targeted are Imran Ahmed (CCDH), Claire Melford (Global Disinformation Index), and HateAid leaders Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon. The State Department cited Breton’s previous warnings to Elon Musk regarding content moderation as a primary factor for the visa restrictions.