A ‘Kill Switch’ Could Shutter Europe’s Access to US Tech. Here’s How.

The transatlantic relationship has had many points of tension in recent years. During the Biden administration, disputes arose concerning the US Inflation Reduction Act’s purported preferential treatment of US firms and US-based manufacturing. Ties were also strained by the Biden administration’s restrictions on the sale of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips to European allied nations through its AI Diffusion Rule, which the Trump administration later rescinded.

However, the Trump Administration has escalated the tensions to new levels. Since taking office, the Trump administration has accused the EU of unfair trade practices and ill treatment of US technology firms, mused about abandoning NATO allies with insufficient defense contributions, sanctioned the International Criminal Court (ICC), curtailed US aid to Ukraine, temporarily paused intelligence sharing with Kyiv, and repeatedly expressed a desire to annex Greenland. Now, the Trump administration is reportedly weighing the unprecedented step of sanctioning European officials responsible for the implementation of the EU’s Digital Services Act.