US President Donald Trump’s government is considering imposing sanctions on European Union or Member States responsible for implementing the iconic law on digital services (Digital Services ACT)according to the Reuters agency. Washington argues that the law censors Americans and burdens American technology companies.

Such a move would be unprecedented and would escalate the Trump government’s conflict with Europe.

Senior State Department officials have not yet made the final decision, but the measure is expected to take the form of visa restrictions. It has not been clarified which European officials will be targeted, but according to sources, internal meetings on the issue were held last week.

Although commercial partners often complain about regulations that they consider restrictive, imposing sanctions on government officials for such a reason is extremely rare. The US -EU relations are already in tension due to the threat of duties, harsh negotiations and US criticism in the treatment of US technological giants.

Earlier this month, citing an internal document by the State Department, Reuters reported that the Trump government has instructed US diplomats in Europe to launch a law against the law on digital services, with the aim of modifying or abolishing it.

US-EU confrontation

The EU Digital Services Law aims to make the online environment safer, forcing technology giants to combat illegal content, such as hate speech and child sexual abuse.

Washington argues that the EU is imposing “unjustified” restrictions on freedom of expression in the name of dealing with hatred, misinformation and misleading, and that DSA further enhances these restrictions.

In early August, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave instructions to US diplomats to have regular contact with European governments and the relevant digital services in order to convey US concerns both on freedom of speech and the financial burden on the US.

Already in May, Rubio had threatened visa bans on people who “censor” the speech of Americans, including social media, and implied that politics could target foreign officials regulating US technology companies.

A State Department spokesman did not confirm or denied Reuters’ report for possible sanctions. “We are watching with great concern the growing censorship in Europe, but we do not have further information to give at the moment,” he said in a statement.

A European Commission spokesman refused to comment on possible sanctions, but in the past he had described US allegations of “completely unfounded” censorship.

“Freedom of expression is a fundamental right to the EU. It is at the core of the DSA,” he said. “The regulation sets rules for online intermediaries to deal with illegal content, while protecting freedom of expression and access to information on the internet.”