The European Union introduced fresh measures this week to limit American speech on social media platforms, claiming the move is needed to protect democracy. EU lawmakers say the initiative targets “foreign interference” and “illegal content,” but it’s raising concerns among free speech advocates in the United States.
EU officials intensified the enforcement of the Digital Services Act at a parliamentary session this week, claiming it’s aimed at countering “foreign interference” and “hate speech” on social media platforms, legal advocacy group ADF International said in a statement.
The Act, which took effect last February, compels social media companies to remove “illegal content” or face penalties of up to 6% of their global annual turnover.
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MEPs from across the political spectrum debated these requirements this week, citing concerns that the legislation might affect users even outside Europe, including those in the U.S., ADF Internation added.
Hungarian MEP Schaller-Baross Ernő was quoted as saying, “Let’s call a spade a spade! In its current form, the DSA can also serve as a tool for political censorship. … But this DSA must be abolished in this form. We don’t need more officials in Europe who censor. … Freedom of expression and equal conditions must be ensured. This is the foundation of our democracy. Let’s say no to political censorship!”
Polish MEP Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik described right-leaning views as being treated like a “thought crime,” labeling the new effort as an initiative to “strengthen censorship.”
Supporters of the DSA believe platforms must follow the same standards online as in the offline world, according to France 24. They refer to regional laws in various countries, such as the prohibition of Nazi symbols in Germany and bans on Holocaust denial in France and the Netherlands. Some politicians in the EU claim the law is designed only to ensure existing rules also apply in digital spaces.
The European Commission insists that the DSA “does not force or request platforms to remove lawful content” and requires only the removal of posts deemed illegal by national regulations, according to Reuters.
“In recent months, we have seen how Elon Musk and his social network X have become the main promoter for the far right by supporting [President] Donald Trump and Alice Weidel’s AfD party through fake news and hate messages,” MEP Iratxe García, leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, was quoted as saying.
“We have also witnessed Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to remove fact-checking programs on Meta as an act of complicity with lies and manipulation. … We must ensure the effective application of our rules and we must sanction those who break the rules,” she added.
Paul Coleman, ADF International’s executive director, warned that a “new bipolar order of speech” was unfolding. “On the one hand, Europe is doubling down on censorship, while the U.S. is recommitting to its free speech heritage.”
Coleman’s comments came shortly after Trump signed an executive order aimed at ending “the weaponization of the U.S. government to promote censorship.”
In a letter to Elon Musk this summer, Thierry Breton of the European Commission warned him not to breach the Act. The letter was interpreted by some U.S. politicians as an effort to extend the EU’s regulations into American platforms.
Zuckerberg has described the DSA as part of a broader European effort that institutionalizes censorship, making it difficult to innovate.
