Democratic News Hubb
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
  • Democratic
  • Contact us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Democratic
  • Contact us
No Result
View All Result
Democratic News Hubb
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Elon Musk Should Tell EU Censors to Get Lost

admin by admin
December 4, 2022
in News


If Elon Musk truly believes that Twitter is a front in the “battle for the future of civilization,” he has a chance to prove it.

The Biden administration has already threatened to investigate Musk on multiple occasions, which isn’t surprising considering its unprecedented antagonizing about free expression.

Democrats such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have promised to create new “rules” governing discourse on the private social media platform. (Remember when leftists were pretending to be fans of free-association rights?)

Hillary Clinton’s approach has been more sweeping, calling for the European Union to create a technocratic speech regime to govern American companies to “bolster global democracy before it’s too late.”

And Europe has answered the call. Thierry Breton, the EU’s commissar of “internal market,” says: “Twitter will have to implement transparent user policies, significantly reinforce content moderation and protect freedom of speech, tackle disinformation with resolve, and limit targeted advertising.”

Reuters news agency notes: “Breton told Musk he must adhere to a checklist of rules, including ditching an ‘arbitrary’ approach to reinstating banned users and agreeing to an ‘extensive independent audit’ of the platform by next year.”

Must he?

For one thing, the EU’s demands are in direct conflict with each other. The state can’t protect “freedom of speech” and compel private institutions to “tackle disinformation” and “reinforce content moderation.” Speech is not free if it needs the state’s imprimatur. And American companies should not function under the authoritarian diktats of the Chicoms or the EU nomenklatura.

It’s helpful to remember that the European Union does not share Musk’s liberal conception of “free speech” as an inalienable right, but rather it views open discourse as a government-provided privilege.

Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights begins by promising “the right to freedom of expression,” but soon warns that speech is contingent on the vagaries, conditions, and restrictions of “national security,” “territorial integrity,” the prevention of “disorder or crime,” and “health or morals.”

Or, in other words, the state arbitrarily can impose limits at will—which sounds a lot like the contemporary American Left’s emerging position on free speech.

Nearly every censor in the history of mankind has argued that speech should be curbed to fight existential threats to society. And nearly every censor in history, sooner or later, expands the threat to undercut the rights of their political opponents.

As anyone who’s been paying attention for the past few years knows, the concept of “dis-” or “mis-” information has been abused for partisan purposes—whether the state colludes with Facebook to ban discussion of the origins of COVID-19 to appease China or pressures tech companies to suppress legitimate news during election season to bolster preferred candidates. This goes on openly in Europe.

Germany also has pressured the European Union to pass internet regulations that purportedly would combat “racism” and “xenophobia,” which every EU member nation has since incorporated into its national legislation. In Germany, citizens can face fines for saying something puerile or hateful, or insulting politicians. Sometimes the police will show up at your home and arrest you.

Hate crimes in Europe, incidentally, only have increased. And Europe remains, by most measures, a far less tolerant place than the United States, where political speech is ostensibly unrestricted. Hate-speech laws are not only illiberal and abused, they’re ineffective.

Hate speech laws in the 1930s failed to stem the tide of European fascism—in fact, in some marginal ways they helped it. Insulting “traditional religious communities,” which included Jews, was illegal in Weimar Germany and carried a three-year prison term. The best way to deal with (real) hate speech is to counter it with enlightened speech and stigmatize it.

Indeed, the EU’s censorship regime illustrates both the inadequacies and dangers of empowering governments to dictate moderation policies or define acceptable free speech. Most tech companies spend tens of millions each year in Washington—and Brussels—rent-seeking and lobbying for favorable regulations and are highly susceptible to state intimidation and threats.

Musk, a beneficiary of this relationship in his other ventures, should call the EU’s bluff and see if it follows through on its threats and bans the platform. What he should not do is cave.

COPYRIGHT 2022 CREATORS.COM

The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation.

Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.





Source link

Previous Post

‘Y’all,’ that most Southern of Southernisms, is going mainstream – and it’s about time • Missouri Independent

Next Post

New law increases public school choice but some districts already bursting

Next Post

New law increases public school choice but some districts already bursting

Recommended

Battles over spending, farm bill, Ukraine and yet more loom over a divided Congress 

September 14, 2023

Missouri House tries again to prod Senate into passing sports wagering bill • Missouri Independent

May 10, 2023

Chinese navy holds ‘confrontational drills’ in South China Sea | South China Sea News

January 16, 2023

Putin, Raisi discuss deepening ties between Russia and Iran | News

November 12, 2022

Don't miss it

Democratic

US auto workers expand strike as Biden prepares to join picket line | News

September 23, 2023
News

PBS, NPR Downplayed Judiciary Committee Grilling of Garland

September 22, 2023
News

As child poverty doubles, states launch or expand their own tax credits • Missouri Independent

September 22, 2023
News

Biden administration to create new gun violence prevention office

September 22, 2023
Democratic

Brazil’s top court rules in favour of Indigenous rights in land claim case | Indigenous Rights News

September 22, 2023
News

Pentagon Reverses Gender-Neutral Pronoun Policy for Awards

September 21, 2023
News

Rising rents leave more Kansas City tenants facing eviction • Missouri Independent

September 21, 2023
News

Conservation groups sue federal government for logging proposal near Yellowstone National Park

September 21, 2023
democratic-white

© Democratic News Hubb All rights reserved.

Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement unless specified. By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Navigate Site

  • Home
  • News
  • Democratic
  • Contact us

Newsletter Sign Up

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Democratic
  • Contact us

© 2022 Democractic News Hubb All rights reserved.