Sen. Elizabeth Warren Criticizes Trump Administration Over EU Tech Regulation Pressure
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has accused the Trump administration of pressuring European governments to weaken technology regulations aimed at holding major tech companies accountable for online child sexual exploitation.
In a letter sent Wednesday to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Warren questioned why the administration allegedly threatened European countries with tariffs after they launched investigations into artificial intelligence systems developed by xAI, particularly its Grok image generator. A version of the Grok system released last year was linked to the spread of millions of sexually explicit deepfake images online.
Warren argued that U.S. trade policy appears to be used to protect large technology companies rather than to support broader economic goals. In her letter, she wrote that the administration’s trade negotiations “appear to be focused on securing advantages for the President and his tech billionaire friends, rather than delivering the new manufacturing jobs and balanced trade he promised American families.”
The criticism follows a report released Tuesday by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, which identified X — the social media platform owned by xAI — and its Grok AI system as major contributors to online sexual exploitation risks involving minors in 2026. The group also placed Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, at the top of its annual “Dirty Dozen” list, which names companies and individuals it says are linked to exploitation-related risks online.
Warren’s letter also claims that large technology firms have received exemptions from several tariffs introduced by Donald Trump last year, while tariffs were allegedly used as leverage against countries attempting to enforce stricter digital regulations and content moderation policies.
The senator is requesting records from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to determine whether officials communicated with representatives connected to Elon Musk or his companies regarding efforts to oppose European content moderation and tech regulation policies.
The issue comes as Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX recently acquired xAI. The artificial intelligence company is reportedly preparing to file for an initial public offering that could become one of the largest technology IPOs in history.
The dispute highlights growing global tensions over how artificial intelligence platforms and social media companies should be regulated, particularly in areas involving online safety, content moderation, and the use of AI-generated media. European regulators have generally taken a stricter approach to technology regulation than the United States, creating ongoing trade and policy conflicts between Washington and European governments over digital policy and platform accountability.
