Overview
- HateAid’s Josephine Ballon says U.S. authorities notified her that her valid ESTA was changed, blocking travel, and co-chief Anna-Lena von Hodenberg currently lacks a U.S. visa.
- The measures also target former EU commissioner Thierry Breton, Global Disinformation Index co-founder Clare Melford, and CCDH head Imran Ahmed, who faces possible deportation according to his organization.
- The European Commission condemned the step, requested clarifications, and signaled it could respond, while France’s Emmanuel Macron called the move intimidation aimed at undermining digital sovereignty.
- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued that European actors pressured American platforms to penalize certain viewpoints and warned the list could be expanded without a policy change.
- HateAid is reviewing potential knock-on effects for payments and online accounts with U.S.-based providers despite having no American bank accounts.