The Trump administration has lodged a formal objection to a Downing Street proposal that would push major digital platforms to elevate traditional broadcasters in their online algorithms.
In a statement delivered through the US embassy, Washington said it had "serious concerns" about measures that would require services such as YouTube to give greater visibility to established news outlets including the BBC and ITV. The intervention warned the approach carried a risk of "facilitating censorship."
US officials further cautioned that the UK plans could "establish a template that authoritarian regimes could invoke to justify more control over online content," suggesting the move might be replicated by governments seeking greater oversight of digital speech.
The intervention represents a pointed diplomatic critique of the British proposals. It underscores tensions between efforts to shape online information flows and international concerns about government influence over platform content, though Downing Street has not been quoted here explaining the rationale for its plan.