Concerns are being expressed that Europe is going too far with legislation which is controlling tech giants and their customers …
Laws designed to clamp down on fake news and hate speech are resulting in censorship of citizens, say some, while others are concerned that Europe is legitimising control of the Internet by repressive governments elsewhere in the world.
The New York Times opens with three examples.
A US law professor highlighted his concerns.
Twitter took down the account of a German social worker, Jörg Rupp, for posting content poking fun at racists after the company apparently missed the fact that it was satire. He eventually got his account reinstated only after hiring a lawyer.
Another controversial case in Spain saw a 21-year-old woman convicted under anti-terrorism law for a tweet.
Critics of over-reach in controlling tech giants include Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, United Nations representative and human rights groups.
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United Nations representatives warned the proposed rule “may lead to infringements to the right to access to information, freedom of opinion, expression, and association, and impact interlinked political and public interest processes” […]
At least 17 countries including Malaysia, Egypt and Kenya have cited the spread of “fake news” when adopting or proposing new internet restrictions, according to Freedom House, a pro-democracy group tracking government internet policies.
