Latest news with #techRegulation
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
UK officials could be banned from the US as Team Trump says online safety laws are blocking Americans' 'free speech'
British officials involved in policing the UK's online safety laws could be banned from the United States after the Trump administration vowed to keep out foreign nationals it deems to be censoring Americans. Secretary of State Marco Rubio lashed out at 'unacceptable' behaviour as he launched a new policy could target officials regulating US tech companies. And Ofcom officials could be in the firing line, with the organisation responsible for moderating content consumed in the UK. The Trump administration has already made clear its unhappiness at the UK's tech laws and the upcoming Online Safety Bill, which would tighten controls on who can access content online, as it seeks to help out billionaire-owned tech firms based in the US. Mr Rubio did not name any specific instances of censorship. But US tech companies and the administration have challenged US allies in Europe, alleging censorship of social media platforms. He said it was unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants for social media posts made on US soil. 'It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States,' Rubio said. Some foreign officials have taken 'flagrant censorship actions against US tech companies and US citizens and residents when they have no authority to do so,' Rubio said. It comes as the Trump administration faces accusations it is clamping down on freedom of speech inside America itself. Earlier this week Mr Rubio directed officials to stop scheduling appointments with student visa applicants as they prepare to implement a social media vetting process on foreign students wanting to attend US colleges. Trump officials have repeatedly weighed in on European politics to denounce what they see as suppression of right-wing politicians, including in Romania, Germany and France, accusing European authorities of censoring views like criticism of immigration in the name of countering disinformation. In April, Rubio shut down a State Department office that had sought to counter foreign disinformation, accusing it of censorship and wasting U.S. taxpayer money. In a social media post on Wednesday, Rubio added, 'Whether in Latin America, Europe, or elsewhere, the days of passive treatment for those who work to undermine the rights of Americans are over.' Rubio did not name specific countries or individuals that would be targeted. US social media companies like Facebook and Instagram parent Meta have said an EU content moderation law, the Digital Services Act, amounts to censorship of their platforms. Vice President JD Vance denounced content moderation while in Paris in February, calling it 'authoritarian censorship.' Earlier this week the White House said it was 'monitoring' the case of Lucy Connolly after her bid to be freed from prison over a Tweet which 'stirred up racial hatred' was refused. Connolly was jailed for 31 months after she posted an online rant about migrants hours after killer Axel Rudakubana murdered three young girls in Southport on July 29 last year. The former childminder, who is the wife of Conservative councillor Ray Connolly, deleted the post after four hours but was arrested last August and admitted a charge of inciting racial hatred in October. Last week her appeal against her sentence was refused by three Court of Appeal judges meaning she faces serving another eight months behind bars.
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
US to Issue Visa Bans for Foreign Nationals Who ‘Censor' Americans, Rubio Says
The United States will impose visa bans on foreign nationals it deems to be censoring Americans, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday, unveiling a new policy Rubio suggested could target officials regulating US tech companies. Rubio said in a statement that a new visa restriction policy would apply to foreign nationals responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States and said it was unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants for social media posts made on US soil. "It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States," Rubio said. Rubio's statement did not name specific countries or individuals that would be targeted, but noted that some foreign officials have taken "flagrant censorship actions against US tech companies and US citizens and residents when they have no authority to do so."
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
US to ban foreign officials over 'flagrant censorship' on social media
By Simon Lewis , Reuters US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says it is unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants for social media posts made on US soil. Photo: DREW ANGERER / AFP The US will impose visa bans on foreign nationals it deems to be censoring Americans, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, and he suggested the new policy could target officials regulating US tech companies. Rubio did not name any specific instances of censorship. But US tech companies and the Trump administration have challenged US allies in Europe, alleging censorship of social media platforms, but restricting officials from visiting the US appeared to be an escalation by Washington. Rubio said in a statement that a new visa restriction policy would apply to foreign nationals responsible for censorship of protected expression in the US. He said it was unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants for social media posts made on US soil. "It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States," Rubio said. Some foreign officials have taken "flagrant censorship actions against US tech companies and US citizens and residents when they have no authority to do so," Rubio said. US social media companies like Facebook and Instagram parent Meta have said an EU content moderation law, the Digital Services Act, amounts to censorship of their platforms. The Trump-appointed chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission in March warned the EU Digital Services Act excessively restricts freedom of expression. EU officials have defended the law, which is meant to make the online environment safer and fairer by compelling tech giants to do more to tackle illegal content including hate speech and child sexual abuse material. In a social media post on Wednesday, Rubio added, "Whether in Latin America, Europe, or elsewhere, the days of passive treatment for those who work to undermine the rights of Americans are over." Rubio did not name specific countries or individuals that would be targeted. Brazil has clashed with the platform X, owned by Trump ally Elon Musk, over compliance with orders to take down accounts accused of spreading misinformation. The Trump administration has repeatedly called out European nations for supposed censorship of online content. Vice President JD Vance denounced content moderation while in Paris in February, calling it "authoritarian censorship". In April, Rubio shut down a State Department office that had sought to counter foreign disinformation, accusing it of censorship and wasting US taxpayer money. Announcing that move, he said freedom of expression was vital to US ties with Western European nations, and warned that those who threaten free speech "are attacking one of the pillars of our shared interest, our shared culture, our shared values". Free speech issues would be raised in diplomacy with the EU and had been raised separately with Britain's prime minister, Rubio added. - Reuters
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
U.S. to issue visa bans for foreign nationals who ‘censor' Americans, Marco Rubio says
WASHINGTON -- The United States will impose visa bans on foreign nationals it deems to be censoring Americans, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday, unveiling a new policy Rubio suggested could target officials regulating U.S. tech companies. Rubio said in a statement that a new visa restriction policy would apply to foreign nationals responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States and said it was unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants for social media posts made on U.S. soil. 'It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States,' Rubio said. Rubio's statement did not name specific countries or individuals that would be targeted, but noted that some foreign officials have taken 'flagrant censorship actions against U.S. tech companies and U.S. citizens and residents when they have no authority to do so.' Reporting by Simon Lewis, Brendan O'Brien and Katharine Jackson; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Mark Porter, Reuters
Bloomberg
12-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
State AI Regulation Ban Tucked Into Republican Tax, Fiscal Bill
A powerful House committee has tucked language preventing states from regulating artificial intelligence into President Donald Trump's massive tax and spending bill, a move that would benefit many of the US's largest tech and AI companies. OpenAI, Meta Platforms Inc., and Alphabet Inc. 's Google are among the firms that have argued that state AI regulations would hamstring the burgeoning technology. Meta in April comments to the White House also said state-level rules would raise compliance costs for AI companies.
