Trump escalates clash with Europe and bans a former European commissioner from entering the US.

BarcelonaThe regulation of technology companies and their capacity for political influence has become a new front in the clash between Donald Trump's United States and EuropeThe Trump administration has banned five European citizens from entering the United States, accusing them of "coercing" digital platforms to "censor" American voices, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced early this morning. Among those sanctioned is former European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton (2019-2024), who championed regulations to limit disinformation on platforms such as X, Meta, and TikTok. Also banned are four representatives of NGOs that combat disinformation and hate on social media: British activist Imran Ahmed, executive director of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH); Anna Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon, of the German organization HateAid; and Care Melford. Rubio stated in a press release that these individuals "have led organized efforts to coerce U.S. platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American opinions with which they disagree." For this reason, the US Secretary of State has determined that "their entry, presence, or activities in the country have potentially adverse consequences." Visa restrictions have been imposed on them, prohibiting their entry into the country, and they would face deportation proceedings if found on US soil.

Breton, who clashed with tech magnates like Elon Musk to enforce European Union rules, reacted to X: "Is Bofa experiencing another McCarthyist wind? A reminder: 90 percent of the democratically elected European Parliament and 27 member states are going to approve it." He warned "our American friends: censorship is not where you think."

Brussels was quick to "strongly" condemn the Trump administration's decision and defended the position that "freedom of expression is a fundamental right in Europe." In this regard, the EU asserts that it has "the sovereign right to regulate economic activity" in accordance with its democratic values. "Our digital rules guarantee safe, fair, and equitable competitive conditions for all companies, applied fairly and without discrimination," the European Commission stated in a press release, adding: "If necessary, we will respond."

The pulse from the EU to Big Tech

The State Department's announcement came weeks after the European Commission (EC) imposed a fine of 130 million euros for X, owned by Elon Muskfor failing to comply with the transparency obligations established by the Digital Services Act (DSA). Rubio at the time called the sanction "an attack on the American people by foreign governments." The Trump administration, which has stated its intention to combat diversity and inclusion policies, considers the regulation of social media to limit disinformation and hate speech to be a form of censorship. In response to Rubio's reaction to the sanction, the Commission did not back down; on the contrary, it announced the opening of an investigation into Google. A week earlier, the EU had also opened an investigation into WhatsApp for its AI services. The EU executive denied that this was a response from Washington, but the move was interpreted as a clear statement of intent. The technology sector is one of the few areas in which the EU has not yielded to pressure and threats from Washington. The European Commission continues to strictly enforce the Digital Services Directive, which aims to compel platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X to remove content deemed illegal from their sites. Furthermore, the Digital Services Directive (DSD) also allows platforms to grant authorities access to the algorithms they use to determine what content they offer users. In this regard, state authorities They have the ability to request a platform to remove illegal content, whether or not the company is based in Europe.Beyond the content found on social media and digital platforms, the European legal framework also establishes a series of obligations and prohibitions that large technology companies must comply with if they want to access the European market. In a market dominated by very few players, the objective is to ensure fair competition and greater freedom of choice for EU consumers and businesses in the use and development of digital services.