The European Union has unleashed a chilling ‘Disinformation Law’ under the Digital Services Act (DSA), effective July 1, 2025, to censor Americans sharing non-mainstream news online, transforming the voluntary Code of Conduct on Disinformation into a mandatory clampdown. This sweeping regulation targets major platforms and search engines, enforcing strict controls to suppress content Brussels deems “disinformation,” threatening free speech across borders.
No longer optional, the DSA mandates that the largest online platforms meet rigorous transparency standards and pass audits to prove they’re curbing unapproved narratives. Failure to comply invites harsh regulatory action, signaling the EU’s aggressive push to control global information flow, raising alarms about the erosion of open discourse and the targeting of dissenting voices, including those of American citizens.
Reclaimthenet.org reports: Brussels couldn’t have picked a more delicate moment for this move. Trade negotiations with the United States are on a tight deadline, and the mood between the two is already tense.
This type of regulatory hardball has not gone unnoticed in Washington. American officials remember what happened when Canada tried something similar with its digital services tax.
President Donald Trump labeled the move as “obviously copying the European Union.”
Meta’s Joel Kaplan took to his podium to thank Trump for “standing up for American tech companies in the face of unprecedented attacks from other governments.” The result was that trade talks between the US and Canada hit a wall until Ottawa quietly shelved its tax plans.
Now the EU seems determined to test how far it can push its digital agenda without suffering the same fate. US politicians, mostly Republicans, have wasted no time calling out censorship disguised as risk management.
European officials are doing their best to dodge the charge.
The EU’s line is that the rules target systemic risks in algorithms and advertising rather than individual content.
Under the new system, platforms labeled as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) will face yearly audits.
These audits are supposed to assess how well companies manage the risks linked to disinformation.
The Commission made sure to clarify that while signing the Code is technically voluntary, meeting the Code’s standards is expected. A spokesperson explained, “Compliance with the Code is voluntary. Compliance with the DSA is not.”
The EU now faces the task of trying to sell its censorship system. With trade talks at risk and growing skepticism from the other side of the Atlantic, it remains to be seen whether Brussels can apply its censorship demands without swift backlash.
