Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a big move against foreigners who trample the rights of Americans.
Rubio promised visa restrictions for those who work to censor Americans in a Wednesday announcement on X. “For too long, Americans have been fined, harassed, and even charged by foreign authorities for exercising their free speech rights,” he said. “I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign officials and persons who are complicit in censoring Americans. Free speech is essential to the American way of life – a birthright over which foreign governments have no authority.”
Rubio added that “Foreigners who work to undermine the rights of Americans should not enjoy the privilege of traveling to our country,” before singling out key offenders. “Whether in Latin America, Europe, or elsewhere, the days of passive treatment for those who work to undermine the rights of Americans are over,” Rubio wrote.
In a press release, Rubio made clear that these restrictions would impact those who try to compel American tech companies to crush speech. “It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States,” he declared.
Rubio’s announcement follows years of anti-free speech foreign officials in Brazil, Australia, India, Turkey and the European Union (EU) pressuring social media platforms such as Elon Musk’s X to remove certain content.
The Brazilian government’s censorship demands even led Musk to announce that he would close the X office in Brazil in August 2024, although he later reopened it. Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has repeatedly tried to force Musk to censor content, not just for Australia, but the entire world. EU officials have investigated Musk, and one official even warned him not to discuss certain topics during a 2024 interview with then-candidate-for-president-Donald Trump.
The EU has also harshly punished American tech companies. According to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the EU has fined American tech companies “over $30 billion.” EU member state, France, even set a disturbing precedent when it arrested Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, before pressing him to censor certain content related to the Romanian election.
Former Biden administration “Disinformation Governance Board” Executive Director Nina Jankowicz has praised government pressure on social media platforms to censor speech and even suggested that foreign regulators should “stand up for” people in countries without widespread social media censorship. So naturally, Jankowicz responded to Rubio’s announcement in a Bluesky thread, expressing concern that America might move against EU, UK, Brazilian, and Australian censors.
Conservatives are under attack! Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
