New York —
Last January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he was eager to have an ally in the White House to go after foreign regulations “pushing” American tech firms “to censor more” content.
That was days before Donald Trump’s inauguration, and the president has been quite willing to take up that mantle. It’s led to an escalating stand-off between the United States and European Union that could increasingly weigh on their relationship.
The president has pushed the European Union and other foreign governments to pull back on regulating US tech firms, while also promoting fewer guardrails domestically. His administration intensified those efforts last month by threatening to penalize European tech firms and seeking to block prominent tech safety researchers and a regulator from entering the United States.
The growing tensions are rooted in a fundamental disagreement over the regulation of tech companies. Regulators in Europe, a global leader in tech-related legislation, believe some guardrails promote online safety, free speech and industry competition. The United States has taken a largely hands-off approach.
Republicans, now controlling the US government, have in recent years framed content moderation efforts as “censorship.” And US tech companies — chafing at having to com
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