The Trump administration has taken the extraordinary step of barring two British citizens and a former top European Union commissioner from entering the United States, accusing them of orchestrating campaigns to suppress the free speech of Americans on digital platforms.
Targets of the Sanctions
Imran Ahmed, the founder and CEO of the London-based Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), now faces deportation from Washington DC. Simultaneously, Clare Melford, associated with the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), will have her US visa revoked. The third individual sanctioned is Thierry Breton, the European Commission's former internal market commissioner, identified as the 'mastermind' behind the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA).
The US State Department, led by Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah B. Rogers, alleges the trio engaged in "extraterritorial censorship of Americans." In a statement, Rogers declared: "For far too long, ideologues in Europe have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose. The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts."
Political Links and Legal Battles
The sanctions spotlight the complex intersection of politics, tech regulation, and free speech. Imran Ahmed, a Cambridge graduate, previously worked as a political adviser to Labour MPs including Hilary Benn. Records show that Morgan McSweeney, now Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff, served as a director of the CCDH from its 2018 inception until April 2020.
The CCDH has been a vocal critic of major tech platforms. In 2023, billionaire Elon Musk's X Corp sued the group after it published a report alleging X had become a haven for hate speech. A federal judge dismissed that lawsuit in March 2024. The organisation also gained notoriety for its "Disinformation Dozen" report during the pandemic, which listed individuals it claimed were responsible for most vaccine misinformation.
A Wider Transatlantic Clash on Regulation
This move escalates a growing conflict between the US and its allies over who controls the digital public square. Secretary of State Marco Rubio framed the sanctions as a defence of American sovereignty, warning that such "extraterritorial overreach by foreign censors" could have "serious adverse foreign policy consequences."
The action follows recent US criticism of Britain's own Online Safety Act. In early December, Under Secretary Rogers called the UK law's potential application to American companies and users a "red line." In response, the US is advancing the GRANITE Act, legislation that could allow American entities to sue foreign regulators, like Britain's Ofcom, over alleged censorship.
Thierry Breton responded to his ban on X, posting: "To our American friends: Censorship isn't where you think it is." Meanwhile, representatives from a sanctioned German NGO, HateAid, labelled the US action an "act of repression by a government that is increasingly disregarding the rule of law."
The sanctions signal a hardening of the Trump administration's "America First" approach to global tech governance, setting the stage for further diplomatic and legal friction with European partners and the UK.
