Trump Administration Orders US Diplomats To Oppose EU's Digital Services Act: Report

The Trump administration has reportedly directed U.S. diplomats in Europe to launch a lobbying effort opposing the European Union’s (EU) Digital Services Act (DSA), citing concerns about free speech and potential financial harm to American tech firms.

Rubio Urges EU Talks On DSA Over Free Speech Concerns

The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, issued a directive on Aug. 4, urging American diplomats in Europe to engage with EU governments and digital services authorities to express U.S. concerns about the DSA, Reuters reported.

The DSA, designed to foster a safer online space by mandating that tech giants tackle illegal content such as hate speech and child sexual abuse material, has faced criticism from the U.S., which claims it may infringe on freedom of expression.

The State Department’s directive, described as an “action request,” provides detailed suggestions for U.S. diplomats on potential changes to the EU law and includes talking points to support this position. The EU has previously stated that the DSA is not up for negotiation in EU-U.S. trade talks.

The State Department’s directive mandates U.S. diplomats to probe any allegations of censorship impacting U.S. citizens and companies. The directive also offers specific recommendations to U.S. diplomats on how the EU law could be modified.

In March, the EU’s antitrust and tech chiefs told U.S. lawmakers that the new tech rule "is not targeted at U.S. tech giants."

DSA Drew Criticism From Vance, US Big Tech

This directive signifies an increase in the administration’s efforts to uphold “America’s free-speech tradition,” adding to the already tense U.S.-EU relationship. The policy was underscored in February when Vice President JD Vance accused European leaders of censoring groups like Germany’s right-wing AfD party.

U.S. tech firms, including Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms META, have also criticized the DSA, claiming it amounts to censorship of their platforms.

Earlier in July, Google GOOG GOOGL faced an antitrust complaint from independent EU publishers over its AI Overviews feature.

Later in the month, the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority proposed significant changes to the mobile ecosystems of Apple and Google following an investigation into their market dominance. Around the same time, Apple AAPL managed to evade daily EU fines by accepting changes to its App Store rules and fees.