The Trump administration is attacking Europe over free speech, saying its regulation of social media and other online platforms amounts to “Orwellian” censorship.

In a social media post Tuesday, the State Department, without giving any specifics, said thousands of people are being convicted for criticizing their own governments, echoing remarks Vice President JD Vance made earlier this year.

“This Orwellian message won’t fool the United States,” it said. “Censorship is not freedom.”

The State Department then appeared to link the claim to the Digital Services Act, the EU’s tech and social media rulebook, saying: “All the DSA protects is European leaders from their own people.”

The State Department did not immediately respond to follow-up questions.

Several American social media giants, including Meta and X, have faced legal action under the DSA, which entered into force in 2022.

Meanwhile, U.S. authorities have increasingly scrutinized the social media posts of foreigners seeking to enter the country, including students, with the State Department directing consular officers to be on the lookout for “any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United States.”

The State Department post appeared to be a continuation of previous Trump administration criticism of EU content moderation rules. In March, Brendan Carr, the chair of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, warned in a speech to the Mobile World Congress that the regulations threaten free speech.

Vance launched an attack on European governments at the Munich Security Conference in February, lambasting what he deemed “the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in May a new visa restriction policy targeting foreign officials complicit in censoring what Americans post online, singling out Latin America and Europe.