The European Union said it has a sovereign right to set rules for online platforms and dismissed accusations that its Digital Services Act amounts to censorship. The bloc added that the law balances content moderation with free-speech protections and is aimed at tackling illegal material and consumer harm. Brussels’ statement follows comments from US President Donald Trump, who threatened new tariffs and other reprisals against countries that levy digital services taxes or enforce regulations he deems discriminatory toward American technology companies. Reports in US and French media said Washington is weighing visa restrictions on EU officials involved in enforcing the DSA. In a separate development, the US Federal Trade Commission sent letters on 21 August to Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Signal and other firms, warning them against weakening end-to-end encryption or removing content at the behest of foreign governments. The agency said complying with such demands could violate US consumer-protection laws and undermine Americans’ privacy. The exchange underscores widening transatlantic friction over how to police big-tech platforms, with the EU pushing ahead with stringent regulations while Washington intensifies pressure to protect US commercial and speech interests.