In organizing the hearing, Jordan is attempting to put an international spin on the conservative argument against online speech restrictions in the U.S. — a complaint stemming from the arguments over Covid and the Jan. 6 insurrection, when numerous far-right figures were deplatformed for promoting potentially dangerous misinformation.
He has an ally in Farage, a populist leader who has taken up the same cause against his own government.
As the U.K.’s Online Safety Act has come into effect this summer, it has become a
point of international tension between tech companies and governments.
Farage’s presence in Washington has stoked anxiety in the U.K. and EU that a sympathetic White House might use American trade muscle to push back on overseas rules.
Farage hinted briefly at this in his comments, warning that the U.K.’s Online Safety Act would “damage trade between our countries.”
In addition to Farage, Jordan also invited Thierry Breton, the former EU commissioner for digital affairs. But Breton declined to testify or provide written testimony before the committee, Jordan said at the hearing.
Farage is a provocative guest not only for diplomatic reasons — he’s a...
