‘For too lengthy, Americans have been fined, harassed, and even charged by international authorities for exercising their free speech rights. Today, I’m asserting a brand new visa restriction coverage that may apply to international officers and individuals who’re complicit in censoring Americans, Rubio mentioned.
The #United States has introduced a brand new visa restriction coverage geared toward international officers who try and censor Americans for social media exercise performed on US-based platforms.
The transfer was confirmed by Secretary of State #Marco Rubio, who described it as a response to what he referred to as “unacceptable” efforts by international governments to silence US residents or residents by authorized or punitive threats.
Rubio said that visa bans shall be imposed on international nationals who, of their official capability, demand content material takedowns or implement censorship insurance policies on American tech platforms.
“It is unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants on US citizens or residents for social media posts made while physically present in the #United States,” Rubio mentioned.
“It is similarly unacceptable to pressure American tech firms to implement global moderation policies that extend beyond the authority of those foreign officials.”
‘For too lengthy, Americans have been fined, harassed, and even charged by international authorities for exercising their free speech rights. Today, I’m asserting a brand new visa restriction coverage that may apply to international officers and individuals who’re complicit in censoring Americans. Free speech is important to the American lifestyle – a birthright over which international governments haven’t any authority,” he wrote.
—
Though no particular nations or people had been named, Rubio claimed that some international actors have engaged in “flagrant censorship actions” with out jurisdiction over American platforms or customers.
This new coverage comes as a number of nations in Europe, Asia, and South America have initiated authorized proceedings, issued takedown notices, or levied fines towards US tech firms for violating native content material legal guidelines. While acknowledging these actions, the US stance is that protected speech originating from throughout the #United States can’t be topic to international censorship calls for.
Major platforms affected by such cross-border tensions embrace X (owned by Elon Musk), Facebook and Instagram (owned by Meta), YouTube (owned by Google), Truth Social (owned by Trump Media), and BlueSky (based by Jack Dorsey).
Leave a Comment