Big tech firms could face EU actions amid threats

The European Union could target major United States tech companies with retaliatory measures if US President Donald Trump goes through with his threat to impose tariffs on imports from the 27-member bloc, European Commission sources have said.

Leading tech sector figures such as Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, and Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook's parent company Meta, who are both close to Trump, could soon find their companies on the receiving end of legislation known as an anti-coercion instrument.

This permits the Commission, the EU's executive arm, to restrict trade in services if it feels tariffs are being applied to goods in a bid to force changes in policy.