The House Judiciary Committee has released an interim staff report alleging that the European Commission has spent over a decade pressuring major social media platforms to change their global content moderation policies, resulting in restrictions on American speech online. The report, titled "The Foreign Censorship Threat, Part II: Europe's Decade-Long Campaign to Censor the Global Internet and How it Harms American Speech in the United States," is based on nonpublic documents obtained by the committee through subpoena.
According to the committee, since at least 2020, the European Commission—the executive branch of the European Union—has held more than 100 closed-door meetings with technology companies. During these meetings, it reportedly pushed for stricter content moderation rules that applied globally and led to what the committee describes as direct infringements on Americans' online speech.
The report states that social media companies censored true information and political speech about key policy debates such as COVID-19, mass migration, and transgender issues. The stated justification for this censorship was combating hate speech and disinformation. In December 2025, the European Commission fined X nearly six percent of its worldwide revenue, which the committee characterizes as retaliation for X's efforts to protect free speech globally. The report also points to new legislative and regulatory proposals from the commission as evidence of continued efforts to control online speech beyond EU borders.
Documents provided to the committee indicate several findings:
- The European Commission successfully pressured social media platforms to censor true information in the United States.
- U.S. political content was targeted for censorship.
- Conservative content was disproportionately targeted, with interference noted in elections across Europe.
- Regulatory initiatives described as "voluntary" or "consensus-driven" were neither voluntary nor based on consensus.
"The European Commission's ongoing initiatives indicate that it remains committed to censorship and seeks to export its censorship measures to other countries," according to the statement from the committee. "The Committee will continue its investigation into foreign censorship laws, regulations, and judicial orders and counter this existential risk to a fundamental American right: the right to free expression."
The House Judiciary Committee is one of Congress’s oldest standing committees, established in 1813. It oversees justice in federal courts and law enforcement agencies while managing legislation related to constitutional freedoms—including free expression—civil liberties, immigration policy, antitrust laws, and constitutional amendments. More details about its jurisdiction can be found on its official website. The committee also plays a role in impeachment proceedings and reviews proposed changes to the Constitution.
Further sections of the interim staff report are available through links provided by the committee.
