Digital regulation: Thierry Breton faces sanctions as US-EU dispute intensifies

By Philippe Ricard

Former European Commissioner Thierry Breton denounced new American sanctions as "McCarthy's witch hunt," referencing the anti-communist persecutions led by United States Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s. On Tuesday, December 23, Breton was sanctioned by the Trump administration over his role in implementing legislation aimed at regulating giant tech companies' activities within the European Union's member states. The ex-EU official, a French national, has now been barred from obtaining a US visa.

This retaliatory measure represents a new escalation in the dispute between Washington and European countries over the regulation of American digital platforms, which have openly rebelled against the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). This piece of legislation was developed by the EU member states, and it was Breton's initiative when he served as the European commissioner for the internal market, from 2019 to 2024. The DSA seeks to combat hate speech and online disinformation. The Trump administration, however, sees it primarily as an obstacle to free speech, and one likely to generate additional costs for American social media companies.

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