Overview
- The 160-page interim report asserts the European Commission used regulatory leverage to influence global moderation of lawful political content, including speech by Americans.
- Committee materials obtained via subpoenas describe more than 100 private meetings with major platforms since 2020 and link those contacts to policy shifts on COVID-19, Ukraine and gender issues.
- Internal TikTok documents show its 2024 worldwide Community Guidelines were updated primarily to comply with the Digital Services Act, expanding removals and demotions for categories such as “misrepresented authoritative information” and “marginalizing speech.”
- The report details actions around elections, including the Dutch Interior Ministry’s designation as a DSA “trusted flagger” and EU briefings that listed “populist rhetoric,” “anti-elite” messages and political satire as content to target.
- EU officials defend the DSA as a user-protection law limited to the bloc, while enforcement and investigations continue, including a €120 million fine against X in December and a raid on the company’s Paris office this week.