U.S. State Department calls EU Digital Services act ‘Orwellian censorship’
The U.S. State Department has sharply criticized Europe’s approach to online content moderation, labeling the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) as a tool for “Orwellian censorship.”
In a social media post on Tuesday, the department claimed that “thousands of people are being convicted for criticizing their own governments,” echoing earlier remarks from Vice President JD Vance, News.Az reports, citing Politico.
"This Orwellian message won’t fool the United States. Censorship is not freedom," the statement read.
The post singled out the EU’s DSA, saying:
"All the DSA protects is European leaders from their own people."
The act, which came into force in 2022, imposes stricter rules on tech giants like Meta and X (formerly Twitter), forcing them to remove illegal or harmful content or face heavy fines.
The remarks continue the Trump administration’s broader criticism of European content moderation policies. Earlier this year, FCC chair Brendan Carr warned that EU regulations threaten free speech. In February, Vance accused European governments of “retreating from fundamental values” at the Munich Security Conference.
In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa restrictions for foreign officials involved in online censorship, specifically mentioning Europe and Latin America.
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