The US State Department in the social network X accused Europe of non-observance of freedom of speech and excessive censorship.
"In Europe, thousands of people have been convicted for criticizing their own government. This Orwellian message will not deceive the United States. Censorship is not freedom," the agency wrote.
The State Department also attached to the publication an image on which the phrase "everyone in Europe has freedom of speech, but does not have the freedom to distribute illegal content" is crossed out. Instead, the phrase "DSA (EU Digital Services Law) protects only European leaders from their own people" is placed on the image.
In February, at the 61st Munich Security Conference, US Vice President Jay Dee Vance criticized the leaders of the European Union. He stated that some European countries are retreating from the principles of freedom of speech and democracy. Vance expressed concern that this trend not only undermines the internal stability of European states, but also calls into question the foundations of cooperation between the United States and Europe. At the end of his speech, the Vice President called on European politicians to give citizens the opportunity to express their thoughts freely.
In July, the European Commission informed the social network X of its preliminary findings, according to which the company violates the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA) in areas related to ensuring transparency of advertising and researchers' access to open data and information.
In case of non-elimination of violations, the European Commission threatened the company with fines of up to 6% of its total annual turnover. The owner of X, Elon Musk, in turn, said that the social network is waiting for a "very open" battle with the European Commission in court.The Digital Services Act (DSA) entered into force in the European Union in August 2023. According to this regulation, digital platforms are obliged to combat racism, the sale of narcotic substances and counterfeit products, as well as the spread of child pornography and disinformation. Platforms should explain the work of their algorithms, issue recommendations, and offer alternatives. The European Commission regularly sends complaints to large online platforms demanding the elimination of detected violations of the DSA and threatens to apply penalties or stop the activities of companies in the EU.