The US State Department has imposed visa restrictions on five individuals accused of attempting to pressure American technology companies to censor content and restrict freedom of speech. This was reported by CNN, informs UNN.
Details
It is noted that former European Commissioner Thierry Breton, who was one of the key initiators of the Digital Services Act, which obliges large technology companies to combat hate speech and disinformation, fell under the sanctions.
In addition to Breton, the restrictions affected the heads of organizations that research dangerous content on the Internet – in particular, the CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate Imran Ahmed, the co-founder of the Global Disinformation Index Claire Melford, and employees of the German non-profit organization HateAid Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified that some European leaders use the fight against disinformation as a tool to persecute opponents of immigration policy.
President Donald Trump has made it clear that his "America First" foreign policy rejects infringements on American sovereignty. Extraterritorial interference by foreign censors targeting American free speech is no exception. The State Department has stated its readiness to expand the current list if other foreign actors do not change their course
In turn, a representative of the Global Disinformation Index called Washington's actions an "authoritarian attack" and noted that the Trump administration "is once again using the full influence of the federal government to intimidate, censor, and silence voices with which it disagrees."
Recall
The European Commission imposed a fine of 120 million euros on the social network X for violating the Digital Services Act.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it "not just an attack on X, but an attack on all American technology platforms 'and the American people by foreign governments."