US Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson warned American tech giants against complying with the UK and EU’s new digital content laws to avoid violating US data protections.
The EU Digital Services Act, UK Online Safety Act, and UK Investigatory Powers Act were instated to crackdown on illegal content by monitor user’s ages, regulating online platforms, and enforcing protective mechanisms. However, the laws have been seeing backlash by users for infringing upon user privacy and data security.
On Thursday, Ferguson called to Apple, Meta, Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, X, Signal, and Slack to discuss how to maintain US laws while dealing with regulatory pressures in Europe.
Ferguson stated: "Foreign governments seeking to limit free expression or weaken data security in the United States might count on the fact that companies have an incentive to simplify their operations and legal compliance measures by applying uniform policies across jurisdictions.”