EU's global censorship push exposed: Why Canada's 'Online Harms' plan should alarm free speech advocates

Recent documents released by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee expose a concerted effort by the European Union to pressure major social media platforms into censoring online speech globally, including content originating in the United States—Canadians are warned.

A July 2025 interim staff report, followed by a February 2026 update titled "The Foreign Censorship Threat, Part II," details how the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) compels platforms like X, Meta, TikTok, and YouTube to alter their worldwide content moderation policies.

The DSA requires very large platforms to identify and mitigate "systemic risks," including so-called disinformation, hate speech, and content affecting "civic discourse"—even if not strictly illegal. Non-compliance risks fines up to 6% of global annual revenue.

Subpoenaed internal documents reveal over 100 closed-door meetings since 2020 where EU officials pushed for stricter global rules, leading platforms to censor political speech on topics such as COVID-19 origins and vaccines, the war in Ukraine, mass migration, and transgender issues.

The reports describe this as a decade-long campaign to suppress narratives critical of establishment views, often under the banner of combating "hate speech" or "disinformation."

In the United Kingdom, the Online Safety Act (OSA), fully in force by 2025, has drawn sharp criticism for expanding government oversight of online content. Platforms must remove illegal material and mitigate "harmful" content, including age-restricted access for satire, political criticism, or protest footage. Reports document cases where users faced blocks on videos of anti-migration protests, MP speeches on grooming gangs, survivor testimonies, and even light-hearted political satire mocking public figures. Critics argue the vague definitions of harm create over-censorship, chilling free expression and affecting access to legitimate discourse.

Canadians have reason for concern, as similar regulatory approaches are advancing here. Proposed "online harms" legislation could establish a Digital Safety Commission to enforce duties on platforms to reduce exposure to seven categories of harmful content, including hate speech, incitement to violence, and child exploitation material. It includes a Digital Safety Ombudsperson and potential fines for non-compliance. Though the original bill died on the order paper after Parliament's January 2025 dissolution, government sources indicate plans to revive standalone online harms legislation in 2026, with children's advocates pushing for swift reintroduction.

Free speech groups warn that such frameworks, inspired by EU and UK models, risk enabling subjective enforcement and government overreach. Vague terms like "harmful content" could chill dissent, mirror global trends toward centralized control, and erode Canada's Charter-protected expression rights amid rising international pressure on digital speech.