Twitter Files journalist Michael Shellenberger said that some policymakers in the European Union are “enemies of free speech” in their dedication to online censorship.
Shellenberger referred to the European Parliament's Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), a committee dedicated to encouraging the government to censor certain content online.
The committee is currently celebrating the enforcement of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) in a law that chills free speech online. Indeed, Committee Commissioner Thierry Breton ominously tweeted that the law “must” be followed.
Shellenberger compared the law to an episode of Black Mirror, a dystopian fictional TV show that illustrates the dangers of unchecked technology and government.
“It sounds like a ‘Black Mirror’ episode but it's real life: a petty group of European bureaucrats is deciding what the whole world should be able to say and hear on social media platforms. Get a good look at these people. They are the enemies of free speech,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Oct. 19.
MRC Free Speech America has covered Breton’s threats to social media platforms that do not follow his rules.
In an Oct. 11 letter, Breton demanded that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, take “diligent and objective action following notices of illegal content in the EU.”
He claimed that Meta must focus on “tackling disinformation in the context of elections.”
The MRC report added that Breton is confident his demands will be followed:
“Breton didn’t stop pushing government-Big Tech collusion to quash free speech, as he requested that Meta share its plans for censoring content prior to multiple upcoming European elections. He also asked for a ‘prompt, accurate and complete response to these requests (within the next 24 hours for the former)’ so he could put Meta’s answers into an ‘assessment file on your compliance with the DSA.’ He concluded with the seeming threat that ‘penalties can be imposed.’”
Unfortunately, the European Union’s influence over the digital world continues to grow.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
