Subpoenaed records cited by lawmakers detail years of coordination between European officials and social media platforms affecting American political content.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A new report released Tuesday by the House Judiciary Committee outlines what Republican lawmakers describe as a years-long effort by European Union officials to influence how major technology platforms moderate content, including the removal of lawful speech originating in the United States.
The committee’s findings are based on nonpublic documents obtained from large technology companies through congressional subpoenas. According to the report, the European Commission repeatedly urged social media platforms to adopt stricter, globally applicable moderation policies that lawmakers say resulted in the suppression of American political speech.
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“Though often framed as combating so-called ‘hate speech’ or ‘disinformation,’ the European Commission worked to censor true information and political speech about some of the most important policy debates in recent history—including the COVID-19 pandemic, mass migration, and transgender issues,” the report states.
The report says that since 2020, EU officials have held more than 100 closed-door meetings with major platforms, including X, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, to encourage revisions to content moderation standards. Committee investigators allege those discussions frequently focused on narratives viewed as contrary to official European policy positions.
Among the documents cited are records indicating that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Commission Vice President Věra Jourová urged platforms to remove content questioning official COVID-19 and vaccine narratives as early as 2020.
The committee report states that the EU’s efforts intensified after the Digital Services Act (DSA) took effect in 2024. The law imposes broad obligations on online platforms to address content deemed harmful by regulators. Internal records cited by lawmakers indicate that following meetings with EU officials, TikTok revised its global Community Guidelines to comply with the DSA, resulting in the moderation of certain conservative political statements related to gender issues.
Ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the report says Jourová traveled to California to meet with technology executives to discuss moderation of political content, including content tied to U.S. elections. Committee investigators said EU officials indicated those discussions would encompass both European and American political speech.
The report also details enforcement actions under the DSA, including a December fine of approximately $140 million levied against X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk. EU regulators alleged the platform misled users through its paid verification system and failed to provide adequate data access to researchers.
Beyond formal penalties, lawmakers allege the European Commission relied on “voluntary” initiatives and nongovernmental organizations to pressure platforms into censoring lawful speech. According to the report, internal meeting records show EU officials coordinated with national regulators and third-party groups ahead of elections to flag political viewpoints for moderation.
The committee report also notes that the Trump administration has taken steps to respond to what it characterizes as foreign censorship of Americans, including sanctions against several European figures tied to digital regulation. Among those sanctioned was former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton, one of the architects of the DSA, who in 2024 cited the law in a letter to Musk ahead of a livestream interview with President Donald Trump.
Separately, the report references actions by French authorities, including a search of X’s Paris office as part of a criminal investigation, and a statement from France’s foreign ministry asserting that EU digital regulations apply within the bloc.
U.S. Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers said in a social media post that she looks forward to discussing the findings at the upcoming Munich Security Conference, according to the committee report.
The House Judiciary Committee said its investigation into foreign influence over online speech remains ongoing.
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