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Lawmakers from the House Judiciary Committee returned from Europe, warning that a wave of new laws across the EU and the UK is tightening government control over online speech, and that the consequences will not stop at Europe’s borders.
Chairman Jim Jordan led the group through Brussels, London, and Dublin, where they met with European officials, US companies operating overseas, and advocates for free expression.
The trip, according to Jordan, only deepened fears about the Digital Services Act, Digital Markets Act, and Britain’s Online Safety Act.
“Nothing we heard in Europe eased our concerns about the Digital Services Act, Digital Markets Act, or Online Safety Act,” Jordan said. “These sweeping regulations create a serious chilling effect on free expression and threaten the First Amendment rights of American citizens and companies.
“We absolutely need to protect children and keep harmful, illegal content off these platforms, but when governments or bureaucracies suppress speech in the name of safety or regulation, it sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the core of Western democratic values.”
Scott Fitzgerald, who heads the committee’s subpanel on administrative state and regulatory reform, said one message kept coming up in their meetings. “America innovates, China replicates, then Europe regulates.” In his view, US companies in Europe are feeling boxed in by layers of political and regulatory demands.
Rep. Kevin Kiley argued that both Europe and the US have drifted away from the principles of free speech in recent years. “It’s critical that we stay aligned with our European allies on protecting free speech,” he said.
“Unfortunately, Europe has veered off course, and to be frank, the United States did too in recent years under the Biden Administration. But thanks to the work of the Judiciary Committee, we’ve made real progress, and we’re here to help ensure that progress extends beyond our borders.”
Kiley also pointed to the Digital Markets Act as a particularly damaging tool. “I’m also deeply concerned about how laws like the Digital Markets Act are being weaponized against American companies, many of them based in California,” he said.
“This kind of overreach doesn’t just burden innovation; it effectively shifts wealth from the US to Europe. That’s not something we can ignore, and it should be front and center in future US–EU negotiations. We’re going to make sure the administration hears that loud and clear.”
For the lawmakers who traveled to Europe, the trend is unmistakable. Government regulators are embedding censorship into law under the guise of safety, and if left unchecked, these rules could become a transatlantic norm that erodes the free exchange of ideas on a global scale.
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Author: Cindy Harper
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