"For Maga politicians, European tech regulation hits hard in two areas: at the economic interests of Silicon Valley and at their view of free speech. The action against five Europeans who are taking on harmful content and the platforms that host it has had an inevitable feel to it, given the increasingly vociferous reactions to the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) and the UK's Online Safety Act (OSA)."
"Both pieces of legislation require social media firms to protect users or face the threat of sizeable fines. Indeed, Elon Musk's X has been fined 120m (105m) this month for breaching the DSA. These acts are key examples of what US Republicans see as an anti-free speech culture on the other side of the Atlantic. Thierry Breton is thought to have been a key figure in bringing through the EU's Digital Services Act."
"Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator charged with overseeing the OSA, has not been affected by the visa bans announced on Christmas Eve, but there is an implicit threat in the air. One of those targeted by the move is the former European industry commissioner Thierry Breton, an architect of the DSA. The message is clear: watch out regulators. Trump allies have also targeted Imran Ahmed's Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a US-UK organisation which campaigns against online hate speech."
"CCDH was the target of an Elon Musk lawsuit in 2023 but the claim was thrown out by a judge last year who said the legal challenge, which focused on allegations that CCDH accessed data on X illegally, was in fact about punishing the defendants for their speech. In a post on X, Musk, a self-proclaimed free speech absolutist, described CCDH as a truly evil organization that just wants to destroy the first amendment under the guise of doing good!"
European tech regulation confronts both Silicon Valley economic interests and MAGA politicians' free-speech positions. Actions targeting five Europeans who challenge harmful online content reflect reactions to the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) and the UK's Online Safety Act (OSA). Both laws require social media firms to protect users or face the threat of sizeable fines; Elon Musk's X was fined 120m (105m) this month for breaching the DSA. US Republicans view the DSA and OSA as evidence of an anti-free-speech culture. Thierry Breton and other regulators face visa bans and explicit warnings, and Trump allies have pursued CCDH.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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