In a wide-ranging interview on The Joe Rogan Experience, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg offered a sharp critique of the European Union’s regulatory policies targeting U.S.-based technology companies.
He argued that the EU’s approach, marked by significant financial penalties and stringent regulations, has placed disproportionate burdens on American firms. Zuckerberg also called for stronger support from the U.S. government to protect the global competitiveness of its technology sector.
EU’s “De Facto Tariff” on U.S. Tech
Zuckerberg highlighted the staggering fines levied by the EU against American tech companies, totalling over $30 billion in the past two decades. He characterised these measures as a “de facto tariff,” asserting that they unfairly target U.S. firms under the guise of antitrust enforcement. Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, was itself fined €797 million in 2024 for breaching EU antitrust rules.
“The European Commission’s actions are almost like tariffs aimed at American companies,” Zuckerberg said. “If another country targeted a major U.S. industry in this way, the American government would respond. But here, the U.S. hasn’t just failed to act—it has, in some cases, exacerbated the situation.”
Zuckerberg suggested that investigations and lawsuits initiated by U.S. authorities against domestic tech firms have emboldened foreign regulators to impose stricter penalties. He described the EU’s actions as part of a broader strategy to diminish the influence of American platforms while advancing European digital sovereignty initiatives.
Content Moderation and the Free Speech Dilemma
The Meta CEO also addressed the challenges of moderating content on global platforms, particularly in the face of government pressure. Citing incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2016 U.S. election, Zuckerberg admitted that early reliance on government and media narratives about misinformation had unintended consequences.
“One of the biggest challenges is defining misinformation,” Zuckerberg said. “Who gets to decide what’s true and what’s false?”
He acknowledged that Meta’s early reliance on third-party fact-checkers occasionally led to decisions that alienated users and fuelled accusations of bias.
In response, Meta recently announced plans to abandon its third-party fact-checking program in favour of a crowd-sourced approach similar to X’s (formerly Twitter) Community Notes. Zuckerberg described this shift as part of a broader effort to improve transparency and rebuild trust with users.
A Call for U.S. Government Action
Zuckerberg was critical of the U.S. government’s handling of tech regulation, particularly its failure to support American companies abroad. He argued that while the U.S. legal system allows companies to contest penalties, many other jurisdictions lack similar safeguards, leaving U.S. firms vulnerable to unchecked regulatory actions.
“The U.S. government should be defending its companies, not leading the charge against them,” Zuckerberg said. He warned that the absence of support could weaken America’s strategic advantage in the global tech industry.
Navigating EU Policies and Global Competition
Zuckerberg’s critique of the EU’s approach aligns with broader industry concerns about Europe’s regulatory landscape. The EU has introduced a series of laws, including the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, aimed at increasing accountability and curbing monopolistic practices. While these measures have been praised by consumer advocates, U.S. tech leaders argue that they disproportionately target American firms, creating an uneven playing field.
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The Meta CEO also expressed concerns about the geopolitical implications of regulatory imbalances, particularly in the context of U.S.-China competition. He emphasised the importance of fostering innovation and maintaining U.S. leadership in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
“If we want to lead in AI and other emerging technologies, we need policies that strengthen, not undermine, our global standing,” Zuckerberg said.
Balancing Innovation and Accountability
While Zuckerberg acknowledged the need for accountability within the tech sector, he called for a recalibration of the relationship between governments and technology companies. He criticised instances where platforms were pressured to remove factually accurate content that was politically inconvenient, citing the Hunter Biden laptop story as a case in point.
“Government agencies were asking us to take down content that was true,” Zuckerberg said. “That undermines public trust and damages the integrity of platforms.”
He argued that fostering trust through transparent policies and decentralised approaches to moderation is essential for the future of online discourse. Meta’s recent initiatives, including the introduction of user-driven content review systems, aim to strike a balance between free expression and accountability.
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