Vera Jourova, deputy head of the European Commission, said that the ability of corporations that own social networks, based on unclear criteria, to “silence” the US president could threaten free speech.
Earlier, Twitter and Facebook announced an indefinite freeze on Trump’s accounts, accusing him of inciting violence. Other social networks followed suit. Trump on Tuesday announced an unprecedented attack on free speech.
“While I believe Trump’s irresponsible incitement to violence deserved a response, it is clear that we cannot continue like this… The fact that they (tech companies – ed.) can silence the current US president on the basis of unclear criteria and without supervision, can be dangerous for freedom of speech”, – Yourova told Politico.
According to her, “tighter regulation measures” are needed. Yourova noted that the recently introduced bills in the EU to regulate the activities of technology platforms Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act “will increase the accountability of online platforms and clarify the rules for removing illegal content”, but it will take time for the new rules to start working, and “we need to act now “.