Thierry Breton on Social Media Regulation

Thierry Breton, in his capacity as the former European Union digital chief, was the primary enforcer and proponent of landmark legislation like the Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes obligations on very large online platforms regarding content moderation and systemic risk mitigation. He has publicly asserted that the EU must firmly resist external political influence, specifically from the United States, attempting to coerce changes to laws passed democratically by European lawmakers. His stance is that these laws are necessary to protect users, including children and teenagers, within Europe.

This firm position led to him being sanctioned with a US visa ban by the Trump administration, an action which he condemned as politically motivated and described as a witch hunt. He noted a lack of a strong institutional response in Brussels to the ban, suggesting weakness at a time when the bloc faces external pressures. Despite facing sanctions, Breton affirmed the need to stand up for the legislation that was backed by nearly 90% of EU lawmakers and all member states, viewing compliance with such national laws as non-negotiable to please American tech companies.