US Bans Visa of Former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton Over Big Tech Rules
The United States has escalated its dispute with the European Union over Big Tech regulation. Washington imposed visa bans on five European figures it accuses of promoting censorship of American online speech. The decision has triggered strong backlash from European leaders and intensified tensions over digital sovereignty.
The US State Department confirmed it has barred five Europeans, including former EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, from entering the country. Secretary of State Marco Rubio led the decision, while the undersecretary for public diplomacy later named the individuals involved.
US officials say the group used European digital laws to pressure American technology companies. Washington argues the effort aimed to silence viewpoints opposed by European regulators and advocacy groups.
“For far too long, ideologues in Europe have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms,” Rubio wrote on X.
“The Trump administration will no longer tolerate extraterritorial censorship.”
Digital laws behind the confrontation
The dispute centers on the European Union’s Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act. The laws require major online platforms to moderate content and limit anti-competitive behavior. Many of the affected companies are based in the United States.
Under the rules, regulators can fine companies up to 6% of their global annual revenue.
US officials accused Breton of using the Digital Services Act during his tenure to pressure Elon Musk and his social media platform X. They say he threatened enforcement actions over content moderation and disinformation.
The other individuals named include Imran Ahmed of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, Clare Melford of the Global Disinformation Index, and HateAid co-CEOs Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon.
Rubio warned that the US could expand the list if European officials do not reverse course.
Europe responds with sharp criticism
European leaders reacted quickly, with much of the exchange taking place on X.
Breton compared the move to McCarthy-era politics. He questioned whether a political “witch hunt” had returned and rejected claims that EU rules amount to censorship.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the visa bans as coercive. He said the decision undermines Europe’s right to regulate its own digital space.
“The rules governing the European Union’s digital space are not meant to be decided outside Europe,” Macron wrote.
The European Commission said it strongly condemned the US action and would seek clarification from Washington. It emphasized the EU’s sovereign right to regulate its digital market.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen defended the bloc’s approach. She said freedom of speech remains central to European democracy.
Former French ambassador to the US Gérard Araud said the dispute shows a deeper breakdown in transatlantic relations.
Musk and X at the center
The conflict has been building for years. Musk’s X has often stood at the center of EU-US tensions over online speech.
Earlier this month, regulators fined X approximately €120–140 million for breaching the Digital Services Act. Musk praised the US visa bans in a post on X, calling the move “so great.”
After buying Twitter in 2022, Musk loosened moderation rules in the name of free speech. Breton repeatedly warned that X could face heavy fines or exclusion from the EU if it failed to comply with European law.
Those clashes turned X into a symbol of a wider struggle. The fight now goes beyond regulation and into geopolitics. At its core lies a fundamental question: who sets the rules for online speech in a global digital economy?
US Bans Visa of Former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton in Escalating Clash Over Big Tech Rules
US Bans Visa of Former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton Over Big Tech Rules
The United States has escalated its dispute with the European Union over Big Tech regulation. Washington imposed visa bans on five European figures it accuses of promoting censorship of American online speech. The decision has triggered strong backlash from European leaders and intensified tensions over digital sovereignty.
The US State Department confirmed it has barred five Europeans, including former EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, from entering the country. Secretary of State Marco Rubio led the decision, while the undersecretary for public diplomacy later named the individuals involved.
US officials say the group used European digital laws to pressure American technology companies. Washington argues the effort aimed to silence viewpoints opposed by European regulators and advocacy groups.
Digital laws behind the confrontation
The dispute centers on the European Union’s Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act. The laws require major online platforms to moderate content and limit anti-competitive behavior. Many of the affected companies are based in the United States.
Under the rules, regulators can fine companies up to 6% of their global annual revenue.
US officials accused Breton of using the Digital Services Act during his tenure to pressure Elon Musk and his social media platform X. They say he threatened enforcement actions over content moderation and disinformation.
The other individuals named include Imran Ahmed of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, Clare Melford of the Global Disinformation Index, and HateAid co-CEOs Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon.
Rubio warned that the US could expand the list if European officials do not reverse course.
Europe responds with sharp criticism
European leaders reacted quickly, with much of the exchange taking place on X.
Breton compared the move to McCarthy-era politics. He questioned whether a political “witch hunt” had returned and rejected claims that EU rules amount to censorship.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the visa bans as coercive. He said the decision undermines Europe’s right to regulate its own digital space.
The European Commission said it strongly condemned the US action and would seek clarification from Washington. It emphasized the EU’s sovereign right to regulate its digital market.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen defended the bloc’s approach. She said freedom of speech remains central to European democracy.
Former French ambassador to the US Gérard Araud said the dispute shows a deeper breakdown in transatlantic relations.
Musk and X at the center
The conflict has been building for years. Musk’s X has often stood at the center of EU-US tensions over online speech.
Earlier this month, regulators fined X approximately €120–140 million for breaching the Digital Services Act. Musk praised the US visa bans in a post on X, calling the move “so great.”
After buying Twitter in 2022, Musk loosened moderation rules in the name of free speech. Breton repeatedly warned that X could face heavy fines or exclusion from the EU if it failed to comply with European law.
Those clashes turned X into a symbol of a wider struggle. The fight now goes beyond regulation and into geopolitics. At its core lies a fundamental question: who sets the rules for online speech in a global digital economy?