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When people in Washington cry "censorship!", it always sounds like a big drama: evil bureaucrats in Brussels who want to filter the internet. Republicans close to Trump in particular are attacking the Digital Services Act (DSA) and acting as if the EU Commission is deciding what opinions will still be allowed online tomorrow. It sounds scary, but it's pretty far from what the DSA actually does.

What DSA is all about in everyday life

The DSA is essentially a set of rules for platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X. The message is not "delete uncomfortable views," but rather: if something is prohibited under applicable law, it cannot simply be left alone. So no death threats, no depictions of child abuse, no incitement to violence. And yes, in Germany, this also includes certain Nazi symbols. This is not a new EU law on taste, but stuff that has long been illegal in individual countries.

Important: Brussels is not inventing these bans. The EU Commission is not saying, "We don't like this post." It is saying, "You are a huge stage. So please make sure that your stage does not become a dumping ground for clearly illegal content."

What the EU Commission does (and what many people misunderstand)

The Commission does not sit in front of the screen like a firefighting team. Rather, it monitors whether platforms have their systems under control: Can users report content? Is it checked quickly? Are there transparent rules? Can decisions be appealed? And: Is advertising labeled in such a way that you can even recognize who is behind it?

If that doesn't work, the Commission can follow up and demand changes. If a platform blocks content permanently, fines are possible. That's strict, of course. But it's different from state censorship based on political gut feelings.

Fact checks: the term that makes everyone freak out

Part of the US criticism focuses on fact-checking. There is a tendency to portray fact-checkers as an extension of the EU. However, they are merely a tool that platforms can use to identify problematic content. They could also use other models, such as community notices. The DSA does not say "perform fact-checking," but rather, "have effective mechanisms in place."

Election campaigns and algorithms: this is where it gets really tricky

The topic of elections is where politics really comes into play. Platforms are supposed to prevent their systems from being used for manipulation—for example, when algorithms push content to extremes and thus skew debates. In this context, there were also EU investigations into TikTok after the 2024 Romanian presidential elections. Critics call this suppression of opinion, while the EU sees it as protection against manipulation.

The critical commentary at the end

The accusation of "censorship" is a convenient button to press: loud, emotional, immediately dividing people into camps. But it obscures the fact that many platforms have had enormous power for years and often only took responsibility seriously when there was a crisis. Nevertheless, the EU must also be careful. If rules become so complicated that in the end only large corporations can comply with them without any problems, it doesn't help anyone. Freedom doesn't just disappear through bans – sometimes it also disappears through a system that is so overregulated that in the end no one understands it anymore.

Source: n-tv.de