In an aggressive foreign policy move, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed American diplomats across Europe to launch a lobbying campaign against the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA). The internal State Department cable, dated August 4 and obtained by Reuters, frames the DSA as an overreach that curtails freedom of expression and imposes undue costs on U.S. tech giants. Rubio’s directive is the most significant escalation yet in the Trump administration’s ongoing battle against what it views as Europe’s censorship of conservative voices online.

U.S. Targets DSA’s “Overly Broad” Controls

The DSA, a flagship European Union law, is designed to regulate online content by forcing digital platforms to combat illegal and harmful material, including hate speech and child exploitation. However, the Rubio-led State Department labeled the law as “undue” restriction on expression and tasked American diplomats with pressuring European governments to roll it back.

The cable, classified as an “action request,” lays out a detailed strategy for U.S. embassies to follow. It directs diplomats to hold regular meetings with EU officials, national governments, civil society groups, and affected individuals to gather and report cases of “censorship,” particularly those impacting Americans. Examples include arrests, property seizures, online suspensions, and lawsuits related to expression.

Washington’s War on European Tech Regulation

The directive is part of a broader campaign by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance to oppose global content regulation they view as hostile to American values. Rubio and Vance argue that the DSA threatens the “free-speech tradition” of the U.S., echoing concerns frequently voiced by conservative lawmakers and figures such as Elon Musk and Meta executives.

In a February speech, Vice President Vance stunned European allies by accusing EU states of censoring right-wing opposition parties like Germany’s AfD, a party under domestic extremism watch. Rubio followed in May by threatening visa bans for foreign officials deemed to have suppressed speech by Americans.

Business and Legal Pushback

U.S. tech firms, including Meta and Google, have criticized the DSA, claiming it grants excessive power to EU regulators and infringes on operational freedom. The directive urged American diplomats to argue for narrowing the definition of “illegal content” under the DSA and to push for the removal of the Code of Conduct on Disinformation, which the State Department claims undermines expression by empowering so-called “trusted flaggers.”

Despite U.S. pressure, the European Commission has firmly rejected the idea of renegotiating the DSA as part of broader EU-U.S. trade talks. “Our legislation will not be changed. The DMA and the DSA are not on the table,” Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier told reporters in June.

Diplomatic Fallout Expected

Rubio’s lobbying blitz is likely to increase diplomatic tension between the U.S. and its European allies at a time when transatlantic cooperation is already strained over trade, climate, and defense policy. By explicitly targeting European regulatory frameworks and threatening punitive measures against officials, Washington’s stance signals a deepening ideological rift between American exceptionalism and Europe’s approach to digital governance.