By SUZANNE DOWNING
In August, US House Judiciary leaders went abroad to investigate firsthand how Europe regulates speech online. What they found should worry every American who values the First Amendment — especially Alaskans, who travel widely, whether for work in the resource industries, military service, or just to see family and friends.
This isn’t abstract policy talk. What Europe is doing across the Atlantic could soon dictate what you can post, read, or share on Facebook, Instagram, X, or any other major platform. Vague laws written and selectively enforced by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels and London are already pressuring American tech companies to censor political speech — not just for Europeans, but for us.
Last year, during a Judiciary Committee investigation, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg admitted something shocking: Biden administration officials leaned on Facebook to censor Americans, including jokes and satire about Covid-19. He called it “wrong,” promised not to repeat it, and rolled back some of Meta’s censorship policies, which impacted news and opinion leaders, including here at Must Read Alaska.
Thanks to Americans winning that fight, robust debate has returned to the digital town square and dissent is permitted once again.
But now, Europe is trying to drag us backward.
The European Union’s Digital Services Act and Britain’s Online Safety Act give regulators broad powers to punish platforms that don’t scrub undefined “disinformation” or “hate speech.”
In practice, that means censoring political debate. What’s worse, these governments want the rules applied globally, which means your posts in Anchorage, Fairbanks, or Wasilla could vanish because a bureaucrat in Brussels decides it offends “European values.”
Consider this: In the heat of the US 2024 election, the EU warned Elon Musk about hosting an interview with Donald Trump on X, claiming it could cause “spillovers” into Europe. This was the case of one European official openly threatening an American platform over American political speech in an American election. It was just an interview. That’s not just wrong — it’s dangerous.
And what if tech companies don’t comply? Europe threatens them with fines of up to 6–10% of their worldwide revenue. Let’s be clear: That money would come mostly from American consumers and businesses. It’s a backdoor European tax on Americans, dressed up as “safety regulation.”
Alaskans, who travel more than most Americans, may feel the chill of these laws firsthand. Whether you’re checking in with loved ones from overseas, posting a hunting photo, or weighing in on US politics while on a tour of Europe, you could suddenly find yourself muzzled by regulations you never voted for. The ripple effect doesn’t stop when you return home: If companies adjust their global content policies to appease Europe, the same restrictions will apply to your account right here in Alaska.
Europe’s own economy is stagnant. Its leaders, rather than fixing real problems like immigration and growth, have doubled down on censorship. They want to silence critics and export their broken policies to us. We cannot let that happen. This is an opportunity for our own delegation in Washington to weigh in, in order to protect our constitutional rights.
Free speech is the foundation of America. It’s why our ideas thrive and our democracy endures. The Trump Administration is right to put this fight at the top of the agenda, and Congress must keep up the pressure.
The First Amendment doesn’t stop at the water’s edge — and neither should our defense of it.
Suzanne Downing is founder and editor of Must Read Alaska.
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Euro-peons!
Eurotrash politicians. They need to remember what happened last time some fascist tried to FA and FO.
1000%
WE ARE NOT A DEMOCRACY, WE ARE A CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC. SHOW ME WHERE IT SAYS THE WORD “DEMOCRACY” IN OUR CONSTITUTION….I’LL WAIT……… Who gives a SH** was Europe is doing? What are they going to do to us here in America? Send NATO over here and start arresting Americans for our First Amendment Right? That’s an hour we’ll never get back. There is a reason that our right bear arms and defend ourselves is the 2Nd Amendment. You couldn’t pay me to vacation anywhere in Europe. Ever hear of the The Cloward–Piven strategy? Look it up. That’s what Europe has done and now they are paying the price for it.
If they concerned themselves with the problem of foreign born head choppers operating in rape gangs with the assistance of emasculated law enforcement and woketard addled military – what is posted on public platforms would not need to be suppressed.
Europe threatens them with fines of up to 6–10% of their worldwide revenue. What?
Tell them to pound sand and the Tech companies can blacklist the entire European Union (EU) and refuse to provide services/products to all members of the EU. Services/products will be restored only to the EU when the European Union’s Digital Services Act and Britain’s Online Safety Act is repealed.
Russian & China will invade and own Europe shortly. A bunch of soldiers in skinny pants have not any chance of pushing them back. Notice how the Europeans showed up to help the Ukraine push Russia back.
There is absolutely no chance Russia, much less China, will waste one life, one Ruble, or one bullet to waste their time in Europe.
They are busy working with India and most of Eurasia developing their economies, Arctic gas/oil projects with a fleet of advanced nuclear powered ice breakers, building pipelines and educating their youth.
There is nothing in Europe worth protecting or taking, much less to trade with for.
Europe is our problem. They are deindustrializing, needing IMF intervention and won’t buy much LNG from us due to no economies.
Canadia also does not believe in freedom of speech.
I’ve been using “Canadia” for about the last two years, also, after accidentally discovering that it drives Canadians crazy.
Canadians, it’s so easy to tweak their insecure noses!
Our NATO “allies” don’t respect free speech or opposition political parties?
I thought we were spending trillions to protect democracy and free speech in the “free” world.
Why exactly are we stationing a large portion of our military and paying for massive bases in Europe when they are left wing, corrupt and failing cesspools?
We also “protect” most of the Arab countries with more bases and servicemen. How is their freedom of religion and speech, respect for women as equals going?
When is the last time any of them had elections, even if more corrupt than ours?
Why doesn’t NATO act to protect fellow NATO members Hungary and Slovakia from the non NATO, military dictatorship Ukraine from sabotaging their oil pipeline? Critical energy infrastructure, blowing it up is an act of war. Shouldn’t we send in a security force to protect our allies?
The logic is difficult to follow.
Socialists socialisting, this is what happens when you put control freaks in charge. First they want to rob your money at will, then its anything else you do that isn’t pre-order approved by the self-appointed nannies
There’s that ” socialism and Liberation”for you. Socialism is just a way station on th trip to full-on totalitarian communism and the micromanagement of your lives that those of a Socialist bent, desire
It should be noted that Dear Editor censors many MRAK commentators, and occasionally bans them altogether. How is that any different? SUCH HYPOCRISY.
C’mon, back me up all of you who have been banned in the past: WtD, Greg F., Jeffy, cman, Seb, and a host of others. You have all been occasionally silenced or banished at the capricious whim of those who control these pages.
RISE UP, and then head to Dermot’s site, where you will never be silenced!