BARCELONA, Spain - The US communications chair said on Monday that the EU tech rules are "excessive" and "incompatible" with American values, vowing to defend the interests of American tech companies.

Speaking at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Brendan Carr, the new chair of the US Federal Communications Commission, expressed concern with the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA).

For US tech companies in Europe, the DSA was "something that is incompatible with both our free speech tradition in America and the commitments that these technology companies have made to a diversity of opinions," he said.

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"If there is an urge in Europe to engage in protectionist regulation to give disparate treatment to US technology companies, the Trump administration has been clear that we are going to speak up and defend the interest of US businesses," Carr said.

The DSA, which became effective a year ago, regulates online intermediaries and platforms to prevent illegal and harmful activities online and the spread of disinformation. Companies violating the DSA can face fines of up to 6 percent of their annual global turnover.

Thomas Regnier, a European Commission spokesperson, rebutted Carr's comments, saying the censorship allegations against the DSA are unfounded.

Tensions between the EU and the United States have soared since President Donald Trump's return, with his administration slamming EU tech laws as "overseas extortion."

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Last month, Trump said he would impose retaliatory tariffs on countries that levy digital service taxes on US tech companies.