Chi Onwurah, the Labour MP who chairs Parliament’s technology select committee, has accused the Trump administration of undermining free speech after the US announced sanctions against two British anti-disinformation campaigners. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio imposed visa-related sanctions on five Europeans, including Imran Ahmed of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and Clare Melford of the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), accusing them of ‘seeking to suppress American viewpoints they oppose’.
Onwurah said: ‘Banning people because you disagree with what they say undermines the free speech the administration claims to seek. We desperately need a wide-ranging debate on whether and how social media should be regulated. Imran Ahmed gave evidence to the select committee and was an articulate advocate for greater regulation. Banning him won’t shut down the debate.’
Both Ahmed and Melford have clashed with Elon Musk, owner of X. Musk tried unsuccessfully to sue the CCDH over its reports on racist and antisemitic content on X, and has called for the GDI to be shut down. The GDI called the sanctions ‘an authoritarian attack on free speech and an egregious act of government censorship,’ adding that the Trump administration is using federal power to silence dissent.
A UK government spokesperson said: ‘While every country has the right to set its own visa rules, we support the laws and institutions working to keep the internet free from harmful content.’ The French government and European Commission took a more combative stance, with President Macron calling the measures ‘intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty.’
Campaigners warned the UK could be next if the US escalates attacks on tech regulation. Ava Lee of People Vs Big Tech noted: ‘With the Online Safety Act, the UK is likely to be next in the firing line.’ The Trump administration has previously raised concerns about the Act with Ofcom.
