Sen. Warren slams Trump administration for pressuring EU to relax tech regulations

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has raised serious concerns regarding the Trump administration's alleged pressure on European nations to ease regulations aimed at holding major tech firms accountable for their role in online child sexual exploitation. In a letter addressed to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Warren criticized the trade office for threatening European countries with tariffs after they began formal investigations into Elon Musk's xAI and its Grok image generator. The previous version of Grok, released last year, led to the widespread distribution of millions of sexually explicit deepfakes, prompting outrage and calls for accountability. Warren expressed her discontent, stating, "The White House's trade negotiations seem to prioritize benefits for the President and his tech billionaire associates over job creation and fair trade for American families." As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, she emphasized the need for a balanced approach to trade that does not compromise child safety. A recent report from the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) identified xAI's platform and Grok as significant contributors to online child sexual exploitation in the coming years. The report also named Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg as a leading figure on its "Dirty Dozen" list, highlighting entities profiting from such exploitation. Warren pointed out that major tech companies have been granted exemptions from many of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, which caused market instability last April when they were first implemented. She argued that President Trump has used tariffs as a tool to coerce other countries into softening their regulations against Big Tech misconduct. The senator is now seeking access to records from the USTR to ascertain whether discussions have taken place with representatives of Musk's businesses aimed at undermining content moderation policies. This scrutiny comes as Musk's SpaceX has recently acquired xAI, which is reportedly preparing for a potentially record-breaking IPO.