The Foundation for Freedom Online reports that U.S. taxpayer money is funding organizations involved in the EU’s online censorship regime. Specifically, 23 U.S.-funded entities are either signatories to the EU’s Code of Practice on Disinformation or actively participate in the “digital observatory” system that monitors online platforms. These organizations have collectively received over $15 million in government grants. This effort is viewed by some as a “transatlantic flank attack” to circumvent limitations on censorship in the U.S. by influencing American tech platforms through European regulations like the Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA enables European censorship laws and provides U.S. “disinformation researchers” access to data from social media platforms and allows for continued speech suppression.
