US Hits EU's Digital Chief Thierry Breton With Sanctions, Citing 'Censorship'

A digital iron curtain is descending between allies. The Trump administration has imposed U.S. travel sanctions on Thierry Breton, the architect of the European Union's landmark Digital Services Act (DSA), and four other campaigners, accusing them of censorship. The move escalates a simmering conflict over how to regulate Big Tech into a direct diplomatic confrontation.

Washington's 'Censorship' Accusation

The U.S. State Department announced the visa bans on Tuesday. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that the five individuals "have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose." Rubio added that their entry to the U.S. has "potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences."

Those sanctioned include Josephine Ballon and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, co-leaders of the German anti-disinformation group HateAid. Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers identified the individuals on X, framing the bans as enforcing a "red line" for the U.S. against the "extraterritorial censorship of Americans."

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Breton's Rebuttal: A Democratic Mandate

Breton, who served as EU commissioner from 2019 to 2024, quickly fired back on X. "As a reminder: 90% of the European Parliament — our democratically elected body — and all 27 Member States unanimously voted the DSA," he wrote. He ended with a pointed message: "To our American friends: 'Censorship isn't where you think it is.'"

Europe'sDSA and the U.K.'sOnline Safety Act (OSA) are sweeping laws designed to rein in Big Tech. The DSA, for instance, forces giants like Google and Meta to police illegal content more aggressively or face massive fines, a stark contrast to the more hands-off approach long favored in the U.S..