US Accuses EU of Censorship: Inside the Bloc's 'Consensus Machine' for Online Speech

United States - Ekhbary News Agency

US Accuses EU of Censorship: Inside the Bloc's 'Consensus Machine' for Online Speech

A report released by the Republican-led US House Judiciary Committee has unveiled what it claims is a decade-long campaign by the European Commission aimed at stifling online political speech. The committee alleges that subtle yet potent threats were wielded to suppress content ranging from memes and satire to anything Brussels deems "disinformation."

Published on Tuesday, the report asserts that the EU has been "directly infringing" on the free speech rights of both Americans and Europeans. This infringement, according to the committee, occurs through pressure exerted on major social media platforms, compelling them to censor content that, while legal, is categorized as "hateful" or otherwise problematic by the bloc. The investigation, drawing on a trove of policy documents, internal emails, and minutes from closed-door meetings in Brussels, meticulously details how ostensibly "voluntary" engagements with tech executives evolved into what the report characterizes as "mob-style shakedowns." These encounters allegedly involved the implicit threat of legal action and substantial fines, running into millions of euros, hanging over the heads of platform leaders.

The committee is scheduled to convene a hearing on the EU's alleged censorship efforts on Wednesday. In anticipation of this pivotal session, this report offers a deeper examination of the findings presented by the committee.

The committee's report traces the origins of the EU's alleged censorship campaign back to 2015. It was in this year that the European Commission established the EU Internet Forum, initially presented as an initiative to "address the misuse of the internet for terrorist purposes." However, the forum's mandate reportedly expanded significantly over time, encroaching upon the regulation of a wide spectrum of political speech, which the EU began to categorize as "borderline content." This classification included material that was not illegal but was nonetheless targeted for removal or suppression by Brussels.

Between 2016 and 2018, the forum developed two 'codes of conduct,' which were reportedly non-binding. One focused on "hate speech," and the other on "disinformation." From 2018 onward, the report claims, executives from all major social media platforms were required to attend over 100 meetings with Brussels officials and anti-censorship advocacy groups. The purpose of these meetings was to demonstrate compliance and prove that platforms were actively engaged in "demoting and removing" content deemed objectionable by the EU.

Evidence cited in the report, including private emails from Google employees, suggests a lack of genuine choice for platform representatives. One such email reportedly stated that employees "don’t really have a choice" regarding participation in these supposedly "voluntary" meetings, highlighting the coercive nature of the EU's approach.

Further context comes from remarks made by US Vice President J.D. Vance at last year's Munich Security Conference. Vance directly warned the EU that its most significant threats were internal, stemming from a departure from traditional values, with freedom of speech topping his list of concerns. He accused European leaders of employing "Soviet-era" terminology, such as "misinformation and disinformation," as a pretext to silence political opposition. Vance specifically cited the annulment of elections in Romania and the prosecution of individuals for commentary in Germany, Sweden, and the UK as examples of this trend. He also issued a stark warning that future US support for Europe would be contingent upon European governments' commitment to upholding freedom of speech principles.

The report implies that Vance's warning may not have resonated in Brussels, as the EU has since banned the Russian state-controlled media outlet RT across all its jurisdictions. The EU Internet Forum's handbook on "borderline content" reportedly outlines an extensive list of material subject to monitoring, demotion, and deletion. This list reportedly includes "populist rhetoric," "anti-government/anti-EU" content, "anti-elite" content, "political satire," "anti-migrants and Islamophobic content," "anti-refugee/immigrant sentiment," "anti-LGBTIQ" content, and even "meme subculture." The US House Judiciary Committee's report emphasizes that "these issues represent the dominant topics of European – indeed, global – political life today," underscoring the broad implications of the EU's content moderation policies.

The report also sheds light on the EU's approach during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to European Commission documents cited, EU officials pressured tech firms starting in 2020 to "demote and remove" content critical of vaccines and lockdown measures. In bimonthly meetings, predominantly US-based platforms were allegedly asked to adjust their terms of service and content moderation practices concerning vaccines, even before their widespread availability. The report quotes Commission Vice President Vera Jourova telling TikTok executives in a November call, "Vaccines will be our new focus on disinformation on covid." When pressed for a definition of "disinformation," the Commission reportedly directed platforms to the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), described as a left-wing activist organization funded by George Soros, known for organizing advertiser boycotts against right-wing media outlets.

These allegations go beyond mere political disagreements, striking at the heart of the global debate surrounding the role of technology in shaping public opinion and safeguarding free expression in the digital age. While Brussels defends its actions as necessary measures against disinformation and to protect society, critics, including US officials, view them as a dangerous precedent for silencing dissent and curtailing fundamental freedoms.

Ekhbary News Agency