--- title: "Trump Moves to Deeply Censor the Entire Internet" description: "The Trump administration is cynically exploiting calls for stricter AI regulation to pass broad censorship measures at the federal level." date: "2026-06-10" modified: "2026-06-10" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/trump-moves-to-deeply-censor-the-entire-internet" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Computing" - "Future Society" - "Privacy" - "Robots and Machines" --- # Trump Moves to Deeply Censor the Entire Internet ![A close-up photograph of U.S. President Donald Trump speaking to reporters, his mouth puckered in an "o" sound.]() *Samuel Corum / Getty Images; Futurism* The White House and Congress are working on a deal to clamp down on what US citizens are allowed to say online. According to new [reporting by *Axios*](), the Trump administration is negotiating with key senators in an effort to shoehorn a massive legislation package which would limit states' abilities to regulate AI in exchange for placing broad federal limits on digital speech. Plenty of ink has been spilled about the Trump administration's push to revoke AI regulation from individual states. Though the White House and its allies frame this as a matter of "safety" and "national security," the timing is telling, coming as progressive state governments move to restrict the building of [AI data centers]() and hold tech companies liable for [harms their AI systems cause](). What makes this deal particularly insidious is the trade-off at its core. Per *Axios*, congressional lawmakers lead by Republican Marsha Blackburn are essentially offering to surrender their ability to regulate AI in exchange for three federal censorship bills: the Kids Online Safety Act, the NO FAKES Act, and a federal age verification mandate. While the language around these three measures suggests common-sense cyber regulation, activists say they really amount to a massive censorship regime that is fundamentally anti-democratic. In a [blistering statement](), the first amendment group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) warns that "taken together, these bills would fundamentally change the internet as we know it." That's especially striking because FIRE is funded by [conservative private interests]() like billionaire Charles Koch, meaning its opposition highlights the degree to which Trump is butting heads against fellow members of the US ruling class. The Kids Online Safety Act (KORA) for example, would force social media giants to restrict lawful speech based on Federal Trade Commission regulations. FIRE [complains]() that this would give the federal government too much power to hold platforms like Meta accountable for their harms — which, many would argue, is [long overdue](). But given that just a few corporations own the vast majority of [web infrastructure]() and [social media](), KORA would give the Trump-controlled FTC major power to bend the internet to its will. To put this power into perspective, just regulating Meta's Instagram would impact about [71 percent]() of US citizens who say they regularly use the app. It's a powerful weapon, in other words — and like any weapon, it matters a great deal who wields it. Should the White House and Congress push KORA through, it's likely it would functionally end the possibility of [surfing the internet anonymously](), while supercharging Trump's [efforts to criminalize]() left wing opposition groups in the US. Whether it passes will depend on some shrewd maneuvering on the Trump administration's part to secure Congressional support. But it all underscores a frustrating reality of AI regulation in the US: Americans [overwhelmingly support]() stricter regulation on AI — but with the current cabal running the Oval Office, there's no guarantee that the cure won't be worse than the disease. **More on Trump:** [*Trump Shovels $4 Billion Directly to Elon Musk, Who Spent a Fortune Getting Him Elected*]() ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()