In the second half of 2024, the European Union's authorities want to importantly restrict freedom of speech in the associate States in order to defend democracy. The European Commission uses 2 regulations to this end: the DSA Digital Services Act, which forces large online platforms and search engines to control online content, as well as the sister competition law, Digital Markets Act (DMA). It tells technology companies what they can and cannot do in business. The "liberal" Euro MP Renew Europe Sandro Gozi announced that either platform X would introduce censorship or very rapidly vanish from Europe.
The European Commission has been putting force on digital platforms and search engine administrators since mid-last year. They are threatened by advanced administrative penalties, or even a ban on activities within the EU, if they do not remove or hide in the net the content that Eurocrats do not want to weaken democracy.
Platforms are forced to adopt a strengthened code of conduct indicating what content is unwelcome.
Widely censored actions prohibiting criticism of sex policy, Green Governance and Climate Policy, EU officials' actions, corruption incidents involving them, etc., have late intensified.
Brussels issued 2 decisions in a row against Apple, Meta and Microsoft in July concerning content moderation. EU officials say there will be more before the end of the year.
Jan Penfrat, elder Policy Advisor in the EDRi Online Rights Group stresses that the DSA Act gives users the "right to complain" about certain content, and the platforms request to deal with it quickly. The EC has been diligent in utilizing the late adopted regulations and "this is only the beginning" erstwhile it comes to their enforcement," Penfrat added. As early as September, the committee is expected to take further decisions on Apple, which is not to comply with a number of DMA rules.
Apple is the main critic of digital service regulation. The company claims that it endangers user safety.
Also in September, the EC is to decide on the Elona Musk platform. Twitter (X) does not want to fight “disinformation” and “talk of hate”. Commissioner Thierry Breton, liable for digitization, threatened with advanced fines and even a complete ban on the X platform in the EU if the violations were repeated.
In addition to possible fresh DMA restrictions for X, the EU can shortly add Telegram to its list of “very large” platforms specified as WhatsApp, which are subject to the strictest DSA rules. Brussels wants to have full control of the digital content.
– If Elon Musk does not comply with European digital service rules, The European Commission will ask continental operators to block X or, in the most utmost case, will impose the complete dismantling of the platform within the Union “Sandro Gozi, a elder associate of the allegedly liberal Renew Europe, late stated.
A politician from the Ensemble Emmanuel Macron coalition demands Musk to implement the control of “hate speech” under the Digital Services Act (DSA) if he wants to proceed operating within the EU.
In a conversation with the Italian paper “La Repubblica” Gozi said on 19 August that X “must comply with the DSA directive on disinformation and incitement to hate”. Otherwise, it'll be blocked.
The MEP explained that it was essential to control statements in order to reduce political force and increase the importance of the alleged utmost right. "Internet force frequently leads to offline violence," he commented.
"The utmost right hides its force behind freedom of expression. Platforms must average hateful content," he added in 1 of his posts.
Gozi's comments follow the publication of an open letter from EU Commissioner for the interior marketplace Thierry Breton. This ordered Musk to censor the planned interview with Donald Trump, threatening with advanced penalties under the DSA for the possible wide dissemination of the content of "full hate".
The European Commissioner for Digital Affairs warned against "improving harmful content".
"Since applicable content is available to EU users and is besides reinforced in our jurisdiction, we cannot regulation out possible side effects in the EU," Breton wrote in a message published on X.
He added that "any negative impact of illegal content" could prompt the EU to take further action against X, utilizing "our full tools, including by adopting interim measures, if justified to defend EU citizens from harm".
In consequence to Breton's unacceptable censorism, Musk placed a meme on his platform with a vulgar term.
Breton was reprimanded by American politicians. The home of Representatives' Judicial Commission wrote a letter ordering the Eurocrat to halt EU interference in US policy by attempting to censor the Internet.
Freedom of expression is 1 of the fundamental freedoms of citizens and allows not only to proclaim their own views and to share their suggestions or interpretations. It besides means the right to consult the opinions of others.
In fresh years, a number of unprecedented actions have been taken, especially in Western countries, under the pretext of combating alleged mis-, mal- and disinformation, to build the "resistance" of democracy, limiting access to certain messages, while at the same time strengthening the "only right" communicative (in fact disinformation) ruling on crucial economic, social and political issues.
Sources: brusselssignal.eu, today.rtl.lu, politico.eu
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