This week, more than 100 leading free speech experts <a href="https://adfinternational.org/campaign/open-letter-dsa">warned</a> that the Digital Services Act (DSA), a piece of European Union legislation, threatens to impose online censorship across the world. The letter was addressed to the European Commission, the architect of the censorial law.
The DSA gives the EU authority to enforce “content moderation” on platforms and search engines with over 45 million monthly users. It is one of the most dangerous censorship regimes of the digital age, enabling bureaucrats to control online speech at scale under the guise of online “safety” and “protecting democracy.”
This, however, is far from just a European issue. Restrictive speech rules made in Brussels are increasingly shaping the global internet, including on platforms used by Americans.
The letter follows the recently expressed concerns of the U.S. Ambassador to the EU, <a href="https://x.com/US2EU/status/1973100030249640355">Andrew Puzder</a>, that the DSA threatens to censor American citizens online. As the Ambassador stated, President Trump will not “tolerate a foreign government restricting the First Amendment fundamental free speech, free expression rights of American citizens.”
Ambassador Puzder’s statement came shortly after Google’s startling admission that Europe’s censorship laws target American companies and threaten American speech.
Signatories of this week’s letter to the European Commission, which was coordinated by ADF International, include a former U.S. Senator, a former VP of Yahoo Europe, cross-party members of the European Parliament, award-winning journalist and author Michael Shellenberger, former President of the American Civil Liberties Union Nadine Strossen, and academics, lawyers, and experts from around the globe.
The letter urges the Commission to consult with free speech experts and address their concerns as part of the Commission’s formal review of the DSA, which will occur by November 17.
But how could European legislation affect the First Amendment rights of Americans online?
The DSA and its codes of conduct require online platforms, such as X, YouTube, and Facebook, to address “hate speech” and “disinformation” online. These are vague and subjective terms that lack clear legal definitions and, in practice, are used to justify the censorship of disfavored views.
The definition of “illegal content,” which platforms must remove under the DSA, is any content that breaches EU or any EU member state law. This means the most restrictive anti-free speech laws in any individual EU country — of which there are unfortunately many across Europe — will now be applied across the bloc, introducing a lowest-common-denominator of censorship across the EU.
The shocking case of Finnish parliamentarian <a href="https://adfinternational.org/cases/paivi">Päivi Räsänen</a> gives an example of what this censorship could look like in practice. For nearly seven years, Päivi has been dragged through the courts in her country for alleged “hate speech”, for a Twitter post, in which she peacefully expressed her faith-based views and included a picture of Bible text.
With legal support from ADF International, on October 30, she faces her third trial at the Finnish Supreme Court, despite being unanimously acquitted in two previous trials. Under the DSA, draconian “hate speech” legislation, like that used to prosecute Päivi, could be applied across the EU.
<div id="attachment_981733" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-981733" class="size-large wp-image-981733" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-470183360-864x576.jpg" alt="Chairwoman Päivi Räsänen of the Christian Democrats campaigns in Helsinki, Finland on April 18, 2015 ahead of the parliamentary elections to take place on Sunday, April 19, 2015. Finns go to the polls on Sunday in legislative elections widely expected to oust the country's left-right coalition amid growing discontent over a floundering economy undergoing a painful restructuring. AFP PHOTO / LEHTIKUVA / RONI REKOMAA *** FINLAND OUT *** (Photo credit should read" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-470183360-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-470183360-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-470183360-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-470183360.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Päivi Räsänen/ Credit: Roni Rekomaa,Roni Rekomaa/AFP via Getty Images.</div>
What has emerged from the DSA is a vast censorship infrastructure with coercive enforcement tools and an opaque network of EU-approved NGOs and “trusted flaggers,” which identify content for removal. If platforms fail to quickly remove flagged content, they face enormous fines — up to 6% of global revenue — and even EU-wide suspension. Individuals can also be suspended from platforms if they “persistently” post “illegal content.”
Although nominally restricted to the European Union, the DSA’s restrictive approach to online speech will be exported across the world, including to the United States. Keep in mind that GDPR exported EU data privacy standards worldwide, and the DSA could do just that for European speech controls. Platforms will be incentivized to adopt a single global content moderation policy, which could now be made to comply with the DSA’s restrictive approach.
French Member of the European Parliament Virginie Joron, a signatory of this week’s letter to the Commission, has added to these concerns of global censorship from the DSA, saying: “The French digital regulator ARCOM told me they believe the DSA allows them to censor any post anywhere in the world using the DSA. That means even an American citizen posting in Alabama could potentially have their online post taken down, even if the publication would be legal in the US”.
These threats put European legislation on a direct collision course with the First Amendment, in what is perhaps the greatest threat to American online free speech today.
Additionally, the House Judiciary Committee of the U.S. Congress has consistently warned that the DSA is coming for American speech. A July <a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/media/press-releases/foreign-censorship-threat-how-european-unions-digital-services-act-compels">report</a> detailed how the DSA is a censorship tool that requires the world’s largest social media platforms to engage in the censorship of core political discourse in Europe, the United States, and around the world.
If the DSA is left unchecked, Brussels could well become the world’s speech police. Let all concerned with the protection of free speech be on alert about the DSA. 
The European Commission must urgently engage with the free speech concerns outlined in this week’s letter and act now to ensure that the free speech rights of people across the world are respected on the internet.
* * *
Paul Coleman (@Paul_B_Coleman) is Executive Director of free speech legal advocacy organization ADF International.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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EU sets Out Its International Digital Strategy

EU’s Digital Services Act Is The Biggest Threat To Free Speech Yet, Experts Warn

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)

Apple

European Union

First Amendment

Free Speech

Google

Silicon Valley

Snapchat

Social Media Censorship

On the second anniversary of the Hamas October 7, 2023, massacre of more than 1,200 people in Israel, a Greek member of the European Parliament offered a rousing defense of Israel, declaring, “If Israel falls, the gates of hell will open for all of us.”
Afroditi Latinopoulou, founder and leader of the Voice of Reason party, made her comments before the European Union.
“Today marks the anniversary of Hamas’ horrific crime, in which they murdered, kidnapped and abused thousands of Israeli citizens. And who opened the borders and brought Islamists into our home? The leftists. Who is targeting Israel? The leftists,” she stated.
“Coincidence? I don’t think so,” she continued. “Today, the leftist propaganda is targeting Israel, which is fighting for its survival against Hamas’ terrorists. And media worldwide misinform and teach brainless people to hate Jews while Europeans are being murdered by fanatical Islamists. It is our sacred duty to help cleanse Gaza of Hamas. Israel is the only democratic Western state in the Middle East.”
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“If Israel falls, the gates of hell will open for all of us,” she declared. “If they want peace, let Hamas release the hostages and accept Trump’s plan. Otherwise, let them disappear. There is no Palestinian state.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
October 7, 2023 Never forget 😢
It is our sacred duty to help cleanse Gaza of Hamas. If Israel falls, the gates of hell will open for all of us.
PALESTINIAN STATE DOES NOT EXIST.
🇬🇷🔥🇮🇱 <a href="https://t.co/TE27KpCC1w">pic.twitter.com/TE27KpCC1w</a>
&mdash; Latinopoulou (@latinopoulou) <a href="https://twitter.com/latinopoulou/status/1975910873907769822?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
She <a href="https://x.com/AdamMoczar/status/1948120228090769650">added</a>, “Illegal immigration is a well-orchestrated business for the orchestrators to make a fortune and to Islamize Europe. You have filled our countries with illegal migrants with the blessing of Germany and France. We pay Islam, which hates us, out of our savings, to turn our cities into ghettos, to rape and to murder before our eyes in the name of Allah.”
Last May, she <a href="https://www.hungarianconservative.com/articles/culture_society/afroditi-latinopoulou-we-need-more-orbans-fewer-macrons/">stated</a> at CPAC Hungary 2025 in Budapest, “Hungary is fortunate to have a visionary leader, Viktor Orbán, who is guiding the nation on the path of virtue and freedom. A leader who did not hesitate to confront the EU elite to protect his country. That is why today you see a Hungary that is clean, without ghettos, without [the] woke agenda. You see a Hungary being Hungarian. Hungary chose sovereignty, and did so with courage. It’s sent a powerful message: The definition of who we are is ours to give. And in Europe, we need more Orbáns and fewer Macrons.”

FRANCE-EU-POLITICS-PARLIAMENT

Greek Lawmaker Warns EU: ‘If Israel Falls, The Gates Of Hell Will Open For All Of Us’

Greek Lawmaker Warns EU: ‘If Israel Falls, The Gates Of Hell Will Open For All Of Us'

Afroditi Latinopoulou

Global Politics

Israel

Politics

A sweeping law implemented across Europe will severely curtail freedom of expression across the West, a group of over 100 free speech experts told the European Union on Thursday. 
Led by the Alliance Defending Freedom International, a diverse coalition of politicians, academics, and journalists <a href="https://adfinternational.org/campaign/open-letter-dsa">warned</a> European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that the Digital Services Act (DSA) encourages and enables restrictions on political speech. The DSA empowers the European Commission to impose significant financial penalties on tech companies, which it says are not doing enough to combat so-called disinformation. It is set to be reviewed in November. 
“Freedom of expression is the cornerstone of democratic societies. It is through the exchange of ideas — including controversial ones — that societies evolve, and public officials remain accountable,” the coalition wrote in a <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/DSA-Free-Speech-Letter-to-EC_ADFI.pdf">letter</a> exclusively obtained by The Daily Wire. “Yet across the European Union and beyond, we are witnessing a shrinking of civic space. Each week brings new reports of individuals facing censorship or punitive measures for speech that challenges prevailing orthodoxy.”
The letter cited the case of Finnish Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen, who has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/finnish-court-dismisses-hate-crime-charges-against-politician-on-trial-over-christian-beliefs">prosecuted</a> for sharing her Christian views of marriage and sexuality on social media. It also pointed to Adam Smith-Connor, a veteran who has been prosecuted for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/british-army-vet-faces-charges-after-thoughtcrime-of-praying-near-u-k-abortion-clinic">silently praying</a> outside of an abortion facility. 
<div id="attachment_981733" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-981733" class="size-full wp-image-981733" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-470183360.jpg" alt="Chairwoman Päivi Räsänen of the Christian Democrats campaigns in Helsinki, Finland on April 18, 2015 ahead of the parliamentary elections to take place on Sunday, April 19, 2015. Finns go to the polls on Sunday in legislative elections widely expected to oust the country's left-right coalition amid growing discontent over a floundering economy undergoing a painful restructuring. AFP PHOTO / LEHTIKUVA / RONI REKOMAA *** FINLAND OUT *** (Photo credit should read " width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-470183360.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-470183360-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-470183360-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-470183360-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Päivi Räsänen/ Credit: Roni Rekomaa,Roni Rekomaa/AFP via Getty Images.</div>
“The DSA introduces sweeping mechanisms that empower both institutions and private actors to flag content they believe to be ‘illegal’ — a term broadly defined as any content not compliant with EU or national laws,” the coalition wrote. 
The DSA relies on cooperation from non-governmental organizations that advise lawmakers whether someone’s online writings would be considered illegal. There would also be a high burden for reporting violations on tech companies. In certain circumstances, American tech companies may be fined up to 6% of their global revenue if they violate specific conditions. 
Signers of the letter included prominent thinkers like Hoover Institution research fellow Ayaan Hirsi Ali, former Kansas governor and ambassador for religious freedom Sam Brownback, Alliance Defending Freedom President Kristen Waggoner, Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon, journalist Michael Shellenberger, politicians from Brazil and Chile, and several members of the European Parliament. In total, 113 free speech advocates signed on. 
The signatories warned that the DSA not only helps governments crack down on child exploitation and terrorism incitement, but also allows one country to spread its strident restrictions on speech across the entire European Union. 
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The law imposes “a pan-European censorship infrastructure with loosely defined boundaries and the potential to suppress legitimate democratic discourse,” the authors wrote. 
“The wide definition of illegal content allows the most speech-restrictive provisions of one single EU country to be imposed as a standard across the entire Union, and potentially worldwide, effectively importing the lowest common denominator of expression,” they added. 
They demanded that the European Union initiate a formal review of the DSA, examining its impact on free speech, disclosing the involvement of non-governmental organizations in reviewing speech and how they were selected, and ensuring that the law complies with the current European Union charter. 
In January, the House Judiciary Committee <a href="https://www.politico.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/31/document-2025_1_42.pdf">sent</a> a letter to the European Commission stating that the DSA may conflict with the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. In a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/congress-faces-pressure-as-europes-censorship-regime-threatens-american-free-speech">hearing</a> on censorship last month, the committee heard from free speech advocates warning about the potential dangers of the DSA.
“Why should this matter for Americans? Why should you be concerned? Because of the worldwide reach of European law,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nigel-farage-spars-with-dems-as-he-warns-about-authoritarian-crackdown-on-free-speech">said</a> Alliance Defending Freedom International lawyer Lorcán Price. “The so-called Brussels effect changes regulation in every area that the European Union chooses to regulate, and now they’ve entered the business of regulating speech.”

Italian Tech Week 2025

EXCLUSIVE: Free Speech Advocates Challenge EU Over ‘Pan-European Censorship’ Regime

Censorship

Congressman Jim Jordan on Tuesday celebrated Google&#8217;s decision to reinstate YouTube creators censored under President Joe Biden, calling the decision &#8220;a win for free expression.&#8221;
Jordan, who is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told The Daily Wire that Google and YouTube parent company Alphabet <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/unacceptable-and-wrong-google-admits-caving-to-censorship-pressure-from-biden-admin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admitted</a> in a Tuesday letter to the committee that the company and its subsidiaries bowed to pressure from the Biden administration to censor conservative creators speaking out about election integrity and COVID-19.
&#8220;They had kicked some people off the YouTube platform altogether — you, your channel, you&#8217;re gone. They&#8217;ve agreed to reinstate those individuals, which I think is good. They&#8217;ve said they will not use the fact-checkers, like other platforms have done — which was a big problem because fact-checkers are typically really biased against conservatives. I thought it was, again, a win for the First Amendment, a win for free expression.”
Alphabet <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/google-reinstate-banned-youtube-accounts-censored-political-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pledged</a> in the letter its &#8220;commitment to free expression,&#8221; and said it &#8220;will provide an opportunity for all creators to rejoin the platform if the company terminated their channels for repeated violations of COVID-19 and elections integrity policies that are no longer in effect.&#8221;
Creators banned under this regime include Dan Bongino and Sebastian Gorka, both of whom now serve in the Trump administration.
Jordan, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, recalled just how extreme the Biden administration&#8217;s censorship efforts were.
&#8220;Never forget the Biden administration established the disinformation governance board,&#8221; Jordan said on Wednesday&#8217;s edition of Morning Wire. &#8220;I mean, the most Orwellian-sounding thing you could think of — as if a bunch of bureaucrats can tell you what you can say, what you can read, what you can tweet, what you can post! That was frightening stuff.&#8221;
Fortunately, Jordan notes, &#8220;we had an election last November and, thank goodness, things changed.&#8221;
Still, Jordan isn&#8217;t ready to give up the fight, warning that the United States could soon fall victim to European speech restrictions — something congressional Republicans are fighting to stop.
European speech laws are creating complications for the American social platforms, Jordan said. In particular, the European Union’s Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act could <a href="https://fedsoc.org/events/the-digital-services-act-and-global-free-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">force</a> restrictive European speech codes on Americans.
Jordan takes that risk seriously.
Earlier this month, British authorities arrested Irish comedian Graham Linehan upon his landing at London’s Heathrow Airport after a flight from the United States. At issue were a series of X posts he wrote in April, which included jokes about transgender-identifying people.
“If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls,” one of Linehan’s posts in question <a href="https://x.com/judebrew/status/1965556461612007541" target="_blank" rel="noopener">read</a>.
Americans are generally not in danger of arrest in the United States for mocking leftist ideologies, such as transgenderism. But they are still under threat of suppression and retaliation from companies like YouTube or other influential entities, Jordan says.
“I think it&#8217;s just a matter of time before that happens to an American,” the lawmaker told The Daily Wire. “We&#8217;re particularly concerned about that relative to YouTube.”

Jim Jordan

Jim Jordan Celebrates YouTube Ending Conservative Censorship: ‘A Win For Free Expression’

Jim Jordan Celebrates YouTube Ending Conservative Censorship: 'A Win For Free Expression'

Congress

Europe

YouTube

Imagine facing your nation’s Supreme Court for the “crime” of sharing a Bible verse. On October 30, that’s the reality for Päivi Räsänen, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-finnish-court-to-hear-case-on-politician-charged-over-sharing-bible-verse?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Top+Finnish+Court+To+Hear+Case+On+Politician+Charged+Over+Sharing+Bible+Verse">Finnish grandmother</a>, medical doctor, and parliamentarian. Her soon-to-be seven-year ordeal began in 2019, when she questioned her church’s support for Helsinki Pride and posted a Bible verse on X. That single tweet triggered 13 hours of police interrogation, two full trials, and now a third prosecution under Finland’s “hate speech” law.
Räsänen’s case might sound like an exclusively European story — but it also serves as a warning about the growing threat of censorship coming from the EU. While someone living outside of Europe might assume they are exempt from the troubling wave of censorship spreading across the continent, that assumption is dangerously mistaken.
The EU has implemented an online censorship law that could turn stories like Päivi’s into a legalized norm. The law, known as <a href="https://adfinternational.org/es/article/digital-services-act-unpacked">The Digital Services Act</a> (DSA), poses one of the greatest threats to free speech online, not just in Europe, but worldwide.
Presented as a way to create a “safe online environment,” the DSA is in fact a sweeping censorship regime. It compels major online platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, X, and Google to take down “illegal content” or face crippling fines of up to 6% of their global revenue. For companies like Apple or Meta, that could mean billions. With penalties this steep, platforms have every incentive to preemptively over-censor content, not just in Europe, but everywhere.
And what counts as “illegal” content? That depends on the varying laws of 27 EU member states. One country’s vague definition of “hate speech” or “misinformation” can ripple outward, forcing platforms to delete content across the entire internet. What Brussels bureaucrats decide could silence speech in Boston or Boise — posts fully protected by the First Amendment, gone in an instant.
The enforcement system makes this worse. The DSA empowers “trusted flaggers,” which can include activist groups, regulators, or even private entities, to demand removals. The European Commission itself sits at the top, monitoring and punishing companies that don’t comply. In practice, this means platforms will act first and ask questions later, scrubbing lawful speech before it can cause “problems” in Europe.
<div id="attachment_652929" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-652929" class="size-large wp-image-652929" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-14-at-7.01.23-AM-1024x573.png" alt="Päivi Räsänen" width="1024" height="573" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-14-at-7.01.23-AM-1024x573.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-14-at-7.01.23-AM-300x168.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-14-at-7.01.23-AM-768x430.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-14-at-7.01.23-AM-1536x859.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-14-at-7.01.23-AM.png 1573w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Credit: Alliance Defending Freedom International</div>
Päivi Räsänen’s case shows what happens when governments weaponize vague speech laws: peaceful expression treated as criminal conduct. The DSA threatens to make this dynamic global. By institutionalizing vague categories like “hate speech” and “disinformation,” it builds the <a href="https://constitutionaldiscourse.com/the-eu-digital-services-act-and-freedom-of-expression-friends-or-foes/">architecture for censorship</a> that knows no borders.
Americans should not be lulled into thinking this is someone else’s problem. The internet is global, and so are the platforms that host our speech. Already, U.S. lawmakers — from the House Judiciary Committee to Vice President JD Vance — have warned that the DSA could chill <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/jim-jordan-presses-european-commission-for-answers-over-eu-social-media-law-henna-virkkunen-digital-services-act/">constitutionally protected expression</a> here at home. The danger isn’t hypothetical: EU officials have already floated the possibility of censoring American <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/technology/4824438-eu-sends-warning-letter-to-musk-ahead-of-trump-interview/">political figures under the law.</a>
The stakes are enormous. If the EU succeeds in exporting its censorship regime, authoritarian governments worldwide are likely to use it as a blueprint. They will point to Brussels as justification for their own crackdowns. Already, we’ve seen Europe attempt to export the DSA model abroad. For example, at the EU-Canada Summit, Canada and the EU agreed to advance a Digital Trade Agreement that <a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/price-testimony.pdf">expands the reach of DSA principles.</a>
Free speech does not stop at national borders. If America cares about freedom of expression, it must push back against the DSA and its creeping global reach. Päivi Räsänen’s trial is a human face on what’s at stake. Her courage reminds us that when governments claim the power to police speech, no voice is safe.
* * *
Lorcan Price is an Irish barrister and legal counsel for ADF International.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

TOPSHOT-BELGIUM-TECHNOLOGY-MEDIA-EU

Europe’s Digital Speech Police Won’t Stop At The Border

Brussels

Finland

Freedom of Speech

Opinion

Free speech advocates are urging Congress to take action to protect Americans from the European Union’s “censorship regime.” 
The House Judiciary Committee will hear testimony on Wednesday about the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which empowers the European Commission to impose significant financial penalties on tech companies they say are not doing enough to combat so-called disinformation. In some circumstances, American tech companies could be fined up to six percent of their global revenue if they violate certain conditions. 
“Europe wants to be the global leader in censorship,” wrote the Alliance Defending Freedom International’s Lorcán Price in written testimony shared with The Daily Wire. “Its obsession with harmonization and regulation is at odds with the values of free speech and a free press. Those are universal human freedoms as well as traditional European values, but increasingly they are treated by some as a social ill that should be purged from enlightened society.”
Price’s written testimony noted that the Digital Services Act empowered private organizations to be used to monitor speech rules and that the steep fines would lead to companies proactively censoring content. 
“When 6% of your global revenue is at stake, complying with speech codes is never voluntary. And now that the DSA is mandatory and additional add-ons are coming, American companies will be, at best, forced to stop innovating and start policing speech,” Price wrote. 
Others who will testify before the House Judiciary Committee include British Member of Parliament Nigel Farage and App Association President Morgan Reed. 
Alliance Defending Freedom lawyer Jeremy Tedesco said on a background call on the hearing that Congress should try to create incentives to encourage companies to promote and protect free speech. He also praised the committee for drawing attention to the issue of European censorship. 
“Our speech could be deleted without you knowing it, and certainly, without you understanding the reasons for it. I mean, most of the censorship under the DSA happens behind the veil,” Tedesco told The Daily Wire. 
During COVID, he noted that the European Union was a major force pressuring companies to restrict speech critical of masking and other COVID measures, leading to hundreds of thousands of posts being deleted and accounts suspended. 
Just months before the 2024 presidential election, EU industry chief Thierry Breton threatened Elon Musk before he interviewed President Donald Trump on X. Breton told Musk that he must comply with regulations put in place by the Digital Services Act.

Handcuff on the flag of European Union. Close-up, copy space

Congress Faces Pressure As Europe’s ‘Censorship Regime’ Threatens American Free Speech

Congress Urged To Take Action As Europe's 'Censorship Regime' Threatens American Speech

House Judiciary Committee

President Donald Trump warned Monday that countries imposing digital taxes on American tech companies will face significant tariffs if they don&#8217;t remove them.
Without naming a specific country, Trump said that some nations had given a “complete pass” to China’s tech companies while penalizing American competitors. Some countries, like Canada and India, have already backed away from digital taxes after pressure from the Trump administration. 
“As the President of the United States, I will stand up to Countries that attack our incredible American Tech Companies. Digital Taxes, Digital Services Legislation, and Digital Markets Regulations are all designed to harm, or discriminate against, American Technology,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 
“This must end, and end NOW! With this TRUTH, I put all Countries with Digital Taxes, Legislation, Rules, or Regulations, on notice that unless these discriminatory actions are removed, I, as President of the United States, will impose substantial additional Tariffs on that Country&#8217;s Exports to the U.S.A., and institute Export restrictions on our Highly Protected Technology and Chips,” he added. “America, and American Technology Companies, are neither the ‘piggy bank’ nor the ‘doormat’ of the World any longer. Show respect to America and our amazing Tech Companies or, consider the consequences!”
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In June, Canada <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/canada-caves-digital-tax-on-u-s-tech-scrapped-after-trump-pressure">rescinded</a> its Digital Service Tax as part of ongoing trade negotiations with the United States. The tax would have hit American tech companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, and Apple hard, and could have cost American businesses up to $2.3 billion annually. 
India also <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-proposes-remove-equalisation-levy-digital-services-government-source-says-2025-03-25/">backed away</a> from a 6% digital advertising tax in April after pressure from American officials. 
Many European countries, like France and Switzerland, have <a href="https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/eu/digital-services-taxes-europe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">implemented</a> digital taxes, while others, like Belgium and the Netherlands, are considering implementing them. France taxes major tech companies 3% on revenue from digital services and targeted advertising. 
In the trade deal between the European Union and the United States, both entities agreed to address “unjustified digital trade barriers.” 
“In that respect, The European Union confirms that it will not adopt or maintain network usage fees,” the framework said. “The United States and the European Union will not impose customs duties on electronic transmissions.”
It is unclear if the agreement will address digital service taxes.

President Trump Signs Executive Orders In The Oval Office Of The White House

Trump To Foreign Governments: Drop Taxes On Big Tech Or Face ‘Consequences’

Trump To Foreign Governments: Drop Taxes On Big Tech Or Face 'Consequences'

China

Donald Trump

Economy

Executive

Tariffs

Taxes

Technology

Trade War

The European Union will move to end all tariffs on U.S. industrial goods and invest billions of dollars in the American economy as part of a wide-ranging trade deal, according to a framework of the agreement released Thursday. 
More details of the trade deal first agreed to last month were outlined in a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/08/joint-statement-on-a-united-states-european-union-framework-on-an-agreement-on-reciprocal-fair-and-balanced-trade/">joint statement</a> from the White House and the European Union. The plan stipulates that the European Union will “eliminate tariffs” on all American industrial goods and give preferential market access to seafood and agricultural products from the United States. The deal will set the total tariff rate for most European goods coming into the United States at 15%, including pharmaceuticals, lumber, and semiconductors. 
“This Framework Agreement will put our trade and investment relationship – one of the largest in the world — on a solid footing and will reinvigorate our economies’ reindustrialization,” the statement said. “It reflects acknowledgement by the European Union of the concerns of the United States and our joint determination to resolve our trade imbalances and unleash the full potential of our combined economic power.”
The joint statement comes after President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-secures-biggest-of-all-trade-deals-with-eu">announced</a> that they had negotiated a trade deal last month in Scotland. 
The agreement adds that the European Union will also buy around $750 billion of American liquified natural gas, oil, and nuclear energy products through 2028 and buy $40 billion in American AI chips for its computing centers. Additionally, European companies are expected to invest another $600 billion into the American economy through 2028.
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“This investment reflects the European Union’s strong commitment to the transatlantic partnership and its recognition of the United States as the most secure and innovative destination for foreign investment,” the framework said. 
The United States will reduce tariffs on European cars and autoparts once Europe takes concrete steps to end tariffs on American industrial goods. Tariffs on European cars are currently set at 27.5%. 
Europe will also agree to “substantially increase procurement of military and defense equipment from the United States, with the support and facilitation of the U.S. government” to strengthen NATO and transatlantic defense cooperation. 
Von der Leyen <a href="https://x.com/vonderleyen/status/1958485259407786268">said</a> the framework would bring “predictability for our companies &amp; consumers,” “stability in the largest trading partnership in the world,” and “security for European jobs &amp; economic growth in the long-term.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also praised the trade agreement, calling it “historic.”
“The America First Trade Agenda has secured the most important trading partner creating a major win for American workers, U.S. industries, and our national security,” he posted on X. “Tariffs should be one of America’s favorite words.”

TOPSHOT-BRITAIN-SCOTLAND-US-EU-TRUMP

White House Unveils Details Of ‘Historic’ Trade Deal With European Union

Free Trade

President Donald Trump recently announced a trade deal with the European Union that will be a major victory for America.
While the deal was rightly widely celebrated, one of the key pillars with massive economic implications was largely overlooked in the media’s coverage: addressing “unjustified digital trade barriers.”
Europe is deliberately siphoning revenue from American tech and telecommunication companies while shielding its own firms from meaningful competition. They are also turning these tech platforms into <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/22/state-department-attacks-europe-free-speech-00468916" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tools of censorship</a> that punish their own constituents and undermine our shared belief in the open exchange of ideas.
My colleagues and I exposed Europe’s attack on the American digital services industry in a new <a href="https://publicpolicysolutionsusa.org/new-report-public-policy-solutions-exposes-europes-attack-on-the-american-digital-services-industry/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>. We examined the tools the EU and its constituent countries have used to build a web of protectionist policies and targeted regulations and fees to tip the scales in favor of European business and attempt to end American leadership of the digital economy.
While our open market allows competition among competitors, this European system is curtailing American companies’ growth in Europe. As we write in the report: “Despite the fact that American companies are by far the biggest players in this sector globally, EU digital service exports to the U.S. rose by more than $8 billion from 2013-2023, while the U.S. digital services exports to the EU rose by only $5 billion in the same time period.”
Addressing these targeted fees was a significant, hard-fought win for the Trump administration. When American tech and telecom companies are unfairly targeted with exorbitant fees — in some cases more than double than fees assessed to Chinese competitors — it crushes their ability to be leaders in innovation and creates uncertainty that is bad for business and consumers.
That’s why for months <a href="https://x.com/WarMachineRR/status/1938657885870837898" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Trump</a>, Treasury Secretary <a href="https://x.com/WarMachineRR/status/1932878263048941779" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scott Bessent</a>, Commerce Secretary <a href="https://x.com/howardlutnick/status/1939640588883861625" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Howard Lutnick</a>, National Economic Council Director <a href="https://x.com/WarMachineRR/status/1939700859052405063" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin Hasset</a>, and more members of the administration have called our allies to the carpet for their unfair treatment of American tech and telecom companies. The administration said addressing this egregious non-tariff barrier would be part of any trade deal and they delivered on that promise.
But even after President Trump declared victory on the issue, commentators <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/video/2025/07/28/scant-details-on-digital-service-tax-in-u-s-eu-trade-deal.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised questions</a> about the details of how the deal would address the Europeans’ predatory digital tax and regulatory regime. In fact, unnamed EU officials have <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/trade-deal-us-attacks-eu-tech-rules-donald-trump-digital-competition-ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asserted</a> that their digital regulation scheme was not sacrificed.
In his first <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/a6h6nTPoKTk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">public appearance</a> after the trade deal was announced, Bessent doubled down on the Trump administration’s strong stance against the EU regulatory regime.
“They [Europeans] have just given up. It is a regulatory morass,” he said. “The EU internally taxes themselves 100% on services and 50% on goods. The EU was supposed get rid of economic friction, whether it is in finance, whether it is in technology, whether it was in energy. All the EU wants to do is overregulate.” 
At the same time, Lutnick hammered home President Trump’s position reiterating that the EU’s “attack on our tech companies” was “going to be on the table.”
The unnamed EU officials claiming they’d made “absolutely no commitment on digital regulation, nor on digital taxes” might want to check back with their bosses. Ditto those EU constituent countries already looking for backdoors to impose network usage fees on American companies — explicitly taken off the table in the trade deal — through new and creative regulatory schemes.
But President Trump has made clear his expectations, and he maintains significant leverage. After Canada announced it was putting a digital service tax on American technologies, President Trump proclaimed on <a href="https://x.com/WarMachineRR/status/1938657885870837898/photo/1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Truth Social</a>, &#8220;They are obviously copying the European Union, which has done the same thing, and is currently under discussion with us.&#8221;
At his promise of reciprocal tariffs, Canada quickly reversed course.
While the EU tries to muddy the waters and cast doubt on President Trump’s deal, one thing that is not in doubt is the president’s negotiating prowess. Whether through their own firsthand experience or the short-lived episode with Canada, the EU would be wise not to backtrack or try to weasel out of commitments to end the targeting of American companies.
President Trump has made it clear he is fighting for a fair relationship that no longer punishes American innovation, emboldens Chinese influence, or weakens America’s relationship with Europe. Our European allies must stick to their end of the deal.
Joe Grogan served as Assistant to President Donald Trump for Domestic Policy from 2019-2020 and Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget from 2017-2019.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

FILE PHOTO: European Union leaders summit in Brussels

Europe Should Think Twice About Trade Deal Backpedaling

Among his many promises along the campaign trail, President Trump vowed to take down what he and others have described as the “censorship industrial complex,” a global network of ideologically aligned governmental, nonprofit, media, tech, finance, and academic institutions that are colluding to censor vast swaths of legally protected speech by weaponizing terms like “hate” and “disinformation.”
From early in his presidency, President Trump’s actions have consistently aligned with his campaign promises. From Day One — beginning with executive orders that led to the dismantling of the Global Engagement Center, to Vice President JD Vance’s public condemnation of widespread censorship across the U.K. and Europe — restoring free speech has clearly been a top priority for the administration.
As Trump has landed a massive trade deal with the E.U., he has also taken multiple steps to combat global censorship. That includes zeroing in on the censorship regime in Brazil via a 50% <a href="https://x.com/SecRubio/status/1946349695221043669">tariff</a> and an <a href="https://x.com/secrubio/status/1946349695221043669?s=46">order</a> to revoke visas for Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes and other members of the nation’s high court. In 2024, Moraes <a href="https://adfinternational.org/campaign/open-letter-x-brazil">ordered</a> X to block accounts of journalists and political figures under the pretext of “misinformation.” As Trump highlighted in his letter announcing the tariff, X still faces millions of dollars in fines and a permanent ban from the country.
Brazil’s disregard for free speech is paralleled in the E.U. by the “Digital Services Act.” Threatening what it designates as “Very Large Online Platforms” such as X, Meta, Amazon, and Google with crippling fines for noncompliance, the DSA weaponizes vague terms like “hate speech” and “disinformation” to purge the digital landscape of views they deem offensive, inconvenient, or a threat to their power. The DSA also formalizes the kind of public-private collusion exemplified by the censorship industrial complex, empowering private organizations as “trusted flaggers” whose censorship demands platforms are required to prioritize — or face penalties. 
Like Brazil’s Supreme Court, the DSA’s censorship directly impacts American citizens, whose accounts are subject to cancellation right along with our European cousins. We’ve already seen Americans censored under the DSA, as well as under the vague censorship policies that comprise it. These are the same policies at the heart of discriminatory debanking and financial surveillance that have targeted U.S.-based <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/banking/article-12417653/Debanking-row-breaks-Bank-America-shuts-account-ultra-conservative-Christian-charity-serves-impoverished-Ugandans.html">overseas missions</a> and <a href="https://adflegal.org/press-release/revealed-fed-govt-flagged-adf-domestic-terrorist-threat-target-surveillance-major/">conservative groups</a> like Alliance Defending Freedom, where I work.
They’re also the same policies that ruled the digital public square during Covid, when — often at the behest of the Biden administration and third party “flaggers” — major platforms censored and canceled users over views on public health, lab leak “theories” (since proven true), immigration, the Hunter Biden laptop <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/02/blowing-the-lid-off-the-coverup-of-hunter-bidens-cushy-plea-deal/">story</a>, gender ideology, and more. The DSA simply imposes this censorship regime on a global scale.
To the E.U. commissioners behind the DSA, the more governments work in lockstep to intimidate dissenting citizens into quiet compliance, the better. Just over a year ago, Canadian citizen “Billboard Chris” Elston <a href="https://adfinternational.org/news/free-speech-victory-in-australia-for-billboard-chris-as-x-post-censorship-overturned">posted</a> his objections to a controversial WHO appointee on X, linking to a UK Daily Mail article. The Australian government then demanded that X censor the post under its DSA-style “Online Safety Act,” using the law to classify Elston’s speech as “cyber abuse.”
With ADF International’s help, Billboard Chris took on the Australian government at the nation’s high court and won. But even that victory is unlikely to faze a technocratic cabal so committed to global censorship that it would enlist Australia to censor a Canadian speaking on an American platform and citing a British newspaper article.
Again, this multinational crackdown is a feature — not a bug — to those behind the DSA.
And that’s no surprise when you consider the actions and stated positions of DSA architects like Thierry Breton and Henna Virkkunen. It was Breton who, last summer, famously <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/eus-breton-says-musk-must-comply-with-eu-law-ahead-trump-interview-2024-08-12/">demanded</a> that Elon Musk censor then-candidate Donald J. Trump prior to the duo’s X live interview.
That incident apparently left Breton with enough egg on his face to <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/09/16/business/eu-official-thierry-breton-who-clashed-with-elon-musk-resigns/">resign</a> from his post as an E.U. Commissioner, but it wasn’t enough to change Virkkunen’s mind. Virkkunen recently <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-tech-tariffs-us-brussels-trade-commissioner-maros-sefovic/">defended</a> the DSA as “based on our European values” — a claim that evidently refers to the Brussels elites rather than the everyday Europeans who face <a href="https://www.deseret.com/u-s-world/2025/04/27/why-has-there-been-a-crack-down-on-free-speech-in-the-uk/">steep fines</a>, years-long <a href="https://adfinternational.org/cases/paivi">court proceedings</a>, and even <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/europe-crackdown-free-speech-26d021b1">jail time</a> for their online speech.
Fittingly enough, Virkkunen made those comments when she was asked if the DSA was on the negotiating table in ongoing trade talks with the U.S. With the DSA off the table, Virkkunen’s comrades in Brussels may have been negotiating with one hand tied behind their backs.
If that’s the case, it was a high price to pay for censoring peaceable citizens across the world, including in the U.S.
* * *
Jeremy Tedesco (@Jeremy_Tedesco) is senior counsel, senior vice president of corporate engagement at <a href="http://www.adflegal.org/?utm_source=wallstreetjournal&amp;utm_medium=oped">Alliance Defending Freedom</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/ADFLegal">@ADFLegal</a>).
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Supporters Mobilize Following Bolsonaro Case

How Trump’s Tariffs Can Strike A Major Blow To Global Censorship

Brazil

Jair Bolsonaro

Marco Rubio

President Trump

Twitter

President Donald Trump clarified details about the new trade deals with the European Union (EU) and China in an interview on Tuesday, including floating the possibility of 35% tariffs on EU goods and stating that he intends to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Goods from the EU <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-art-of-the-trade-deal-here-are-the-countries-that-have-reached-agreements-with-america">initially</a> faced 30% tariffs under Trump&#8217;s Liberation Day tariff plan, but – after reaching an agreement in late July – an agreement was made for 15% on exports such as vehicles and medicine, among other products.
Trump <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1952733095259472349">explained</a> on CNBC&#8217;s &#8220;Squawk Box&#8221; that EU exports would be slapped with 35% tariffs if the Union did not follow through with the terms of the agreement. Critics have objected to the trade deal, which they say lacked the &#8220;teeth&#8221; to enforce the agreement.
Included in the trade agreement, the European Union committed to purchasing $750 billion worth of energy from the United States and investing an additional $600 billion in the U.S. economy. Trump added that &#8220;They gave me $600 billion and that&#8217;s a gift. … They gave us $600 billion that we can invest in anything we want.&#8221;
Trump also floated plans to re-shore <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/05/trump-says-pharma-tariffs-could-eventually-reach-up-to-250percent.html">pharmaceutical</a> manufacturing from countries like China and Ireland to the United States by increasing tariff rates to 250% over a few years, which is one of the most dramatic moves to address the lack of domestic production of necessary medicines. 
Trump&#8217;s deal with the EU is still in the final stages of completion. On Tuesday, the EU announced that it would be suspending its retaliatory tariffs in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/e-u-to-suspend-retaliatory-tariff-on-u-s-for-six-months-as-massive-trade-deal-is-finalized?author=Reuters&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=E.U.+To+Suspend+Retaliatory+Tariff+On+U.S.+For+Six+Months+As+Massive+Trade+Deal+Is+Finalized">statement</a>.
A spokesperson said, &#8220;The EU continues to work with the U.S. to finalize a Joint Statement, as agreed on 27 July. … With these objectives in mind, the Commission will take the necessary steps to suspend by 6 months the EU&#8217;s countermeasures against the U.S., which were due to enter into force on 7 August.&#8221;
The president also clarified his plans to meet with Chinese President Xi. He said he intends to meet with Xi only after China and the US agree on the terms of a trade deal.
&#8220;I&#8217;ll end up having a meeting before the end of the year, most likely, if we make a deal,&#8221; Trump said in the interview. &#8220;But we&#8217;re getting very close to a deal. We&#8217;re getting along with China very well.&#8221;
Many questions arose about Trump&#8217;s plans to finalize the deal with China after multiple news outlets <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/trump-xi-aides-discussed-autumn-us-china-leaders-meeting-sources-say-2025-07-20/">reported</a> that Trump was pushing for a meeting with Xi. Trump insisted on TruthSocial and in interviews that he had no plans to reach out to Xi for a meeting because, as he said, &#8220;China is very reliant on the United States.&#8221;
Although Trump continues to move around the deadlines for other countries to reach a trade deal, consumer sentiment continues to increase, according to a report by the University of Michigan, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/consumer-confidence-climbs-as-trump-pushes-ahead-with-tariffs?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Consumer+Confidence+Climbs+As+Trump+Pushes+Ahead+With+Tariffs">reported</a>.
&#8220;Perceptions of this month&#8217;s economic developments were similar across the political spectrum; Republicans, Independents, and Democrats all saw some minor increases in sentiment this month,&#8221; the University of Michigan stated.
Trump&#8217;s tariff rollout, which lays a baseline of 10% on all countries with a trade deficit with the U.S. and a varying percentage on others that have struck a deal, will go into effect on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-drops-new-tariff-plan-on-eve-of-trumps-trade-deadline?author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=White+House+Drops+New+Tariff+Plan+On+Eve+Of+Trump%E2%80%99s+Trade+Deadline">August 7</a>.

Trump Reveals Trade Plans With China, EU Following Massive Deals

Trump Outlines Next Steps In Trade Plans With China, EU Following Massive Deals

News

trade

Trump Administration

BRUSSELS (Reuters) — The European Union will suspend its two packages of countermeasures to U.S. tariffs for six months following a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump, a Commission spokesperson said on Monday.
The E.U.-U.S. agreement leaves many questions open, including tariff rates on spirits, and Trump&#8217;s executive order last week setting tariffs on most E.U. goods at 15%, which did not include carve-outs such as for cars and car parts.
E.U. officials have said they expect more executive orders to follow soon.
&#8220;The E.U. continues to work with the U.S. to finalize a Joint Statement, as agreed on 27 July,&#8221; the spokesperson said in a statement.
&#8220;With these objectives in mind, the Commission will take the necessary steps to suspend by 6 months the E.U.’s countermeasures against the U.S., which were due to enter into force on 7 August.&#8221;
The retaliatory tariffs are in two parts: one in response to U.S. steel and aluminium duties, and the other to Trump&#8217;s baseline and car tariffs.
(Reporting by Julia Payne; Editing by Toby Chopra)

Donald Trump/Ursula von der Leyen

E.U. To Suspend Retaliatory Tariff On U.S. For Six Months As Massive Trade Deal Is Finalized

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