Statement of solidarity with EDRi members and allies facing pressure for their work on platform regulation

On February 3^rd 2026, the Committee on the Judiciary of the U.S. House of Representatives released another “interim report” describing the Digital Services Act, the European Commission and civil society organisations working on platform governance matters as part of a coordinated “decade-long effort to censor free speech globally.” This “report” falsely frames legitimate, democratic, consultative policymaking in the European Union as the work of “censorious” organisations. We view this report, which follows another from July 2025, and recent travels bans imposed on a former EU regulator and civil society actors, as part of broader threats to the sovereign, democratic rule-making and enforcement powers of the EU institutions.

The EDRi network strongly condemns this false characterisation of the valuable work done by our members and allies on online platform regulation.

We are concerned about these attempts to apply pressure and intimidation against legitimate and democratically-adopted digital rules, some of which foster participatory mechanisms integral to the work of EDRi and other civil society actors. While not without the need for scrutiny, these laws play an important role in fighting and redressing abuses of people’s personal data, supporting online safety, pushing for an open internet that serves public interest including people’s right to freedom of expression, and seeking to curb the oversized power of some very large online platforms regardless of where they are headquartered. Framing these civil society actors as “censorious” is an unprecedented attack on digital rights and civil society as a whole.

We call upon the EU institutions to not give in to this intimidation and stand firm in its commitment to democratic oversight, consultative policymaking, and a rule of law based enforcement of its digital rulebook. The EDRi network stands in solidarity with its members and allies against these unjustified attacks.

The EDRi network is a dynamic and resilient collective of over 50 NGOs, numerous experts, advocates and academics working to defend and advance digital rights across the continent. For over two decades, EDRi has served as the backbone of the digital rights movement in Europe.