Former State Dept representative suggests that Trump should ‘knock the f**k out’ of EU disinfo regulation
(MENAFN) Former State Department official Mike Benz has called on President Donald Trump to aggressively oppose the European Union’s new mandatory disinformation law, which compels major online platforms and search engines to restrict content labeled as ‘fake news’ by the EU.
Previously a voluntary code, the EU’s Code of Conduct on Disinformation was incorporated into the Digital Services Act (DSA) earlier this year and became compulsory as of July 1. The regulation primarily targets US-based tech giants like YouTube, X, Facebook, and Google, threatening hefty fines for non-compliance.
Benz, who worked on cybersecurity and internet policy during Trump’s first term, warned on X that these platforms “will now face massive EU penalties.” He described the law as a “Global Censorship Law” and “Brussels’ secret weapon,” now fully activated.
He urged Trump to urgently use all available diplomatic, trade, aid, and security leverage—including NATO membership—to forcefully reject the legislation. The law’s implementation coincides with ongoing US-EU trade talks, during which Trump has threatened to impose steep tariffs on EU imports if no agreement is reached by July 9.
Meanwhile, the European Commission’s tech chief, Henna Virkkunen, emphasized that content regulation and digital competition are grounded in “European values” and are not negotiable in trade discussions.
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