In a new article for Lawfare, Kenneth Propp discusses recent efforts by the Trump administration to challenge Europe’s online content moderation laws by denying visas to five Europeans closely associated with such laws–including former European Commissioner Thierry Breton.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that European content moderation laws work to “suppress American viewpoints.” However, given the timing of the Trump administration’s announcement, following so closely on the heels of a fine levied by the European Commission against U.S. social media platform X for breaching transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA), many consider the action to be retaliatory in nature and indicative of a continued alignment between the interests of right-leaning platforms such as X and the objectives of the current U.S. administration. It also serves to support the Administration’s populist political allies in Europe.
In response to the visa denials, the European Commission quickly condemned such actions on the part of the United States and reiterated the EU’s “sovereign right to regulate economic activity in line with our democratic values.” The EU may consider other responses as well to the U.S. measure.
To read the full article on Lawfare, click here.
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