Washington doubles down on sovereignty arguments. Credit: Daniel Torok – White House Facebook
The pressure campaign by Donald Trump’s Administration against the European Union over its digital rules has reached an unprecedented level. In a move without parallel in transatlantic relations, Washington has imposed sanctions on several European figures linked to content moderation and the fight against online hate speech, accusing them of “censoring Americans” abroad.
The decision, announced on Wednesday December 24, means those targeted will be banned from entering the United States and could face deportation if already on US soil. Among the most prominent names is former European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton, who was responsible during the previous EU legislature for the Digital Services Act (DSA).
An escalation rooted in free speech claims
The sanctions follow the publication, ten days ago, of the Trump Administration’s National Security Strategy, which accused European leaders of repressing free speech and silencing political opposition, particularly around migration policies. The document framed EU digital regulation as part of what Washington calls a “global censorship industrial complex”.
US officials argue they are defending the “right of every American to freedom of expression” against what they describe as extraterritorial censorship imposed by Brussels. The move also comes amid broader US efforts to roll back European regulations affecting American technology companies operating in the EU.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was blunt in his response, posting on X that “for too long, European ideologues have led organised efforts to coerce US platforms and punish the opinions of Americans they oppose”. He warned that the Trump Administration would “no longer tolerate these acts of extraterritorial censorship”, and hinted that the list of sanctioned individuals could be expanded.
Washington doubles down on sovereignty arguments
Tulsi Gabbard, head of US National Intelligence, reinforced the message, stating that attempts by foreign governments to impose “anti-freedom policies” on American voices amounted to a serious violation of US sovereignty. According to her, such actions must be met with “accountability”.
For Brussels, however, the sanctions represent a direct attack on the EU’s democratic institutions and legal framework. Thierry Breton responded on X by asking whether the “witch hunts of McCarthyism” had returned, drawing a parallel with the Cold War-era persecution of alleged communists in the United States.
Breton stressed that the Digital Services Act was approved democratically by the European Parliament and unanimously backed by the 27 EU member states. Addressing Americans directly, he added: “Censorship is not what you think it is.”
The Digital Services Act under fire
Breton heads a list of five sanctioned individuals. According to US officials, he is considered the “architect” of the DSA, a law that imposes strict obligations on major online platforms such as X, Instagram, TikTok, Amazon and AliExpress when operating in the EU.
The regulation, which came fully into force in the summer of 2023, aims to better protect consumers and fundamental rights online. It targets illegal content including child sexual abuse material, cyberbullying and hate speech, while also seeking greater transparency in online advertising and platform algorithms.
Earlier this month, the European Commission applied the DSA for the first time by fining X €120 million. The sanction cited failures in advertising transparency, data access for researchers, and the design of the platform’s paid verification system, known as the blue check.
Tech tensions and trade pressure
The Trump Administration has openly declared war on these regulations, claiming they undermine free speech and impose heavy costs on US tech firms, many of which are now closely aligned with the White House. Washington has already attempted to pressure the European Commission to soften its digital rules in exchange for trade concessions on steel and aluminium, a move widely described in Brussels as outright blackmail.
Since the fine against X, tensions have intensified further. Elon Musk, the platform’s owner and a key ally of Trump, has accused the EU of punishing his company for refusing to censor content, a claim European officials have repeatedly dismissed as false.
The confrontation highlights a widening ideological divide between the EU’s rights-based approach to digital governance and the Trump Administration’s absolutist interpretation of free speech.
NGOs and researchers also targeted
Beyond politicians, the sanctions also hit prominent researchers and NGO leaders working to combat online hate and disinformation. Among them is Imran Ahmed, executive director of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, who was previously sued by Musk in 2023 after his organisation reported a rise in hate speech on X following the platform’s takeover. That lawsuit was later dismissed.
Also sanctioned are Josephine Ballon and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, leaders of the German NGO HateAid, which monitors far-right hate speech online, and Clare Melford from the UK-based Global Disinformation Index.
In a statement, the organisation described the US measures as “an authoritarian attack on freedom of expression” and accused the Trump Administration of using its power to “intimidate, censor and silence voices it disagrees with”.
As the standoff deepens, the sanctions risk opening a new and volatile chapter in EU–US relations, with digital regulation now firmly at the centre of a broader geopolitical clash over values, sovereignty and the future of the internet.
