EU Officials Push Back Against US Criticism of Digital Regulations
The European Commission publicly rebuked the Trump administration today, with spokesperson Thomas Regnier dismissing accusations of censorship aimed at the EU’s digital laws as “nonsense,” reports 24brussels.
This reaction comes a day after a US House of Representatives hearing was announced, titled “Europe’s Threat to American Speech and Innovation,” scheduled for next Wednesday. The hearing will scrutinize several European digital regulations, notably the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act.
During a press briefing in Brussels, Regnier stated, “I have no comment to make on the [US] public hearing. These censorship allegations are nonsense. They are completely unfounded and they are completely wrong.”
The hearing features testimony from UK politician Nigel Farage, a prominent figure in the Brexit movement, while former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton has also been invited, pending the Commission’s approval for his participation.
Regnier emphasized the DSA’s role in enhancing anti-censorship measures, highlighting that social media platforms face increased challenges in removing or restricting content shared by European users. He noted that in the latter half of 2024, EU users disputed over 16 million content removal decisions made by Meta and TikTok, contending that nearly 35% of these were unjustified and successfully overturned.
“Thanks to the DSA – because the DSA precisely provides a mechanism to fight back against these [platform] decisions,” Regnier explained, further urging for focused efforts on making the internet safer for children and combating online terrorism. “Let’s focus on real things that are happening in the online world,” he added.
Regarding Breton’s participation, Regnier clarified that former Commissioners require authorization from the Commission to engage in such hearings and emphasized the obligation of professional secrecy that applies to them.
The Commission confirmed that current Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen was not invited to the upcoming US hearing.
