Trump admin slams UK's plan to boost BBC online: ‘Censorship facilitation'

The Trump administration has hit out at the UK government's plan to force social media platforms to give more visibility to the BBC and other traditional broadcasters, warning that the move could “facilitate censorship.”

The US embassy in London expressed “serious concerns” about the proposal.

The Andy Burnham-led UK government plans to force platforms such as YouTube and other social media sites to change the algorithms and provide more visibility to content from establishment broadcasters such as BBC and ITV.

This comes as the audiences have moved from traditional news sources to digital channels.

The government argues that the changes are necessary because the unverified online news often carries misinformation and has the potential of spreading false information easily.

Washington warned that giving government-approved media preferential treatment could set a precedent that authoritarian countries might later use to justify controlling what people see online.

The US also raised concerns that the rules could hurt independent journalists and lead to “extraterritorial censorship of protected speech by Americans online.”

The row comes at a time when London and Washington are already at odds over how much control governments should have over social media.

Britain announced in June that children under 16 would be banned from major platforms including X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube.

Former Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the ban was needed to protect children, but the move faced criticism from US tech companies and Elon Musk, who called it a “censorship law.”