The administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a significant step in its ongoing battle over online speech, announcing visa bans for five foreign individuals accused of attempting to coerce American social media companies into censoring content. Among those targeted is Thierry Breton, the European Union's former top technology regulator.
Sanctions Over 'Coercive' Pressure on Tech Giants
The U.S. State Department stated it would deny entry visas to the five for what it described as efforts to "coerce" U.S.-based social media platforms into suppressing opposing viewpoints. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized the individuals as "radical activists and weaponized NGOs" who have advanced foreign censorship crackdowns targeting American speakers and companies.
Thierry Breton, a key figure in implementing the EU's sweeping Digital Services Act (DSA), found himself at the centre of the controversy. The DSA mandates that large online platforms actively moderate illegal and harmful content, a requirement that has drawn criticism from some American conservatives who view it as a mechanism to silence their perspectives.
Post-Oct. 7 Warnings and a Clash with Elon Musk
The friction intensified following the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. Breton publicly warned tech executives, including X owner Elon Musk and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, about the rapid spread of disinformation and illegal content on their platforms concerning the Israel-Hamas war. He emphasized that companies faced the risk of substantial fines under the DSA for non-compliance.
In a direct communication to Musk, Breton expressed specific concern about "violent and terrorist content" circulating on X, formerly Twitter, that could violate the platform's own policies. He also highlighted the proliferation of "fake and manipulated images and facts," such as repurposed footage from unrelated conflicts or even video games.
This was not Breton's first confrontation with Musk. The European Commission had previously fined X nearly $142 million for "deceptive" practices related to its blue-check verification system under Musk's ownership.
A Defiant Response and the Core Debate
Responding to the U.S. visa ban announcement on X, Breton issued a pointed retort: "To our American friends: Censorship isn’t where you think it is." His statement underscores the fundamental transatlantic divide on the issue: whether aggressive content moderation constitutes necessary governance or an infringement on free speech.
Analysts note that the situation on X became particularly fraught after October 7. Musk had significantly reduced the platform's content moderation teams after his acquisition. He later admitted the site struggled to handle the flood of disinformation in the war's early days. At one point, Musk directed users to an account for "following the war in real time," which was later found to have a history of posting anti-Jewish comments.
Many experts argue that X's overhauled blue-check system, which shifted from a verification tool to a paid premium feature, has contributed to the spread of misinformation by removing clear indicators of authentic accounts.
The U.S. visa sanctions, announced in late December 2025, represent a dramatic escalation in the geopolitical debate over who controls the digital public square and sets the rules for online discourse.
