US Imposes Visa Curbs on 5 Europeans Over Online Speech Policing
Updated
Updated · Brussels Signal · Sep 7
US Imposes Visa Curbs on 5 Europeans Over Online Speech Policing
2 articles · Updated · Brussels Signal · Sep 7
Summary
Five European officials and activists were hit with US visa restrictions after the State Department said they helped enable online censorship affecting Americans and US platforms.
Washington argues Europe’s speech rules now reach into the US public square because global internet platforms face pressure to remove or limit content worldwide to avoid penalties.
US officials point to the EU Digital Services Act and Britain’s Online Safety Act, saying such regimes can chill lawful American speech even when framed as public-interest regulation.
The administration casts the move as part of a wider free-speech push that followed Trump’s January 20, 2025 executive order against federal censorship and the April 2025 closure of the State Department’s counter-disinformation hub.
The dispute reflects a broader US-Europe split over whether governments should police “harmful” or “misleading” speech online, despite both sides presenting themselves as democratic allies.