President Donald Trump’s administration has directed U.S. diplomats in Europe to oppose the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), pointing to how it restricts free speech and burdens American tech companies, according to an internal State Department cable obtained by Reuters, dated August 4th and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The DSA was ostensibly introduced to protect children from harmful content and to curb ‘misinformation’ and ‘hate speech,’ but has the potential to become a powerful weapon against anyone not toeing the line on Brussels’ agenda. The Trump administration rightly views the law as imposing undue restrictions on freedom of expression, particularly targeting conservative voices online—a key concern of Trump and top U.S. officials like Vice President JD Vance.
The cable, described as an “action request,” calls on American diplomats to engage regularly with European governments and digital regulators to build support for repealing or amending the DSA and similar laws. It also provides diplomats with specific talking points to challenge the legislation.
Last month, the U.S. State Department sharply criticised the European Union’s handling of online speech, calling its approach “Orwellian” in a social media post, and asserting that Brussels is actively curbing free expression.
EU officials reject accusations of censorship and claim that the DSA is designed to keep digital markets open, not target U.S. companies.
Neither the State Department nor EU tech officials immediately commented to Reuters on the matter.
