Online Speech and Regulation

The State Department on Tuesday formally barred five Europeans — Imran Ahmed (Centre for Countering Digital Hate), Josephine Ballon and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg (HateAid), Clare Melford (Global Disinformation Index) and former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton — under a May 2025 visa policy targeting foreigners deemed responsible for censoring protected U.S. speech, with Under Secretary Sarah Rogers publicly naming them on X and calling Breton the "mastermind" behind the EU Digital Services Act. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the individuals led organized efforts to coerce U.S. platforms and posed potential foreign-policy harms, while France and the named parties rejected claims of extraterritorial censorship; U.S. officials said they can also be blocked via DHS’s ESTA, and the move is part of a broader Trump administration campaign using immigration law to counter alleged foreign influence on online speech.