What it's like to be banned from the US for fighting online hate

Summary

Ahmed, Melford, Breton, and their respective organizations also made their own statements denouncing the entry bans. Ahmed, the only one of the five based in the United States, also successfully filed suit to preempt any attempts to detain him, which the State Department had indicated it would consider doing. But alongside the statements of solidarity, Ballon and von Hodenberg said, they also received more practical advice: Assume the travel ban was just the start and that more consequences could be coming. Service providers might preemptively revoke access to their online accounts; banks might restrict their access to money or the global payment system; they might see malicious attempts to get hold of their personal data or that of their clients. Perhaps, allies told them, they should even consider moving their money into friends’ accounts or keeping cash on hand so that they could pay their team’s salaries—and buy their families’ groceries. These warnings felt particularly urgent given that just days before, the Trump administration had sanctioned two International Criminal Court judges for “illegitimate targeting of Israel.” As a result, they had lost access to many American tech platforms, including Microsoft, Amazon, and Gmail. “If Microsoft does that to someone who is a lot more important than we are,” Ballon told me, “they will not even blink to shut down the email accounts from some random human rights organization in Germany.” “We have now this dark cloud over us that any minute, something can happen,” von Hodenberg added. “We’re running against time to take the appropriate measures.” Helping navigate “a lawless place” Founded in 2018 to support people experiencing digital violence, HateAid has since evolved to defend digital rights more broadly. It provides ways for people to report illegal online content and offers victims advice, digital security, emotional support, and help with evidence preservation. It also educates German police, prosecutors, and pol...