United Kingdom, Dec. 24 -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has accused "radical activists and weaponised NGOs" of trying to censor American companies.

The US State Department has announced plans to deny visas to five people, including a former EU commissioner, amid claims that they have made a concerted effort to censor viewpoints they oppose.

Rubio said in a statement: "These radical activists and weaponised NGOs have advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states - in each case targeting American speakers and American companies."

However, Thierry Breton, the former top tech regulator at the European Commission, has already hit out at the US' decision.

He wrote on X: "To our American friends: Censorship isn't where you think it i...