European leaders criticize censorship by tech giants

Leaders from Europe including Angela Merkel criticized Twitter and Facebook after US President Donald Trump was muted from the social media platforms, in an extension of Europe’s battle with big tech companies.

Europe has been resisting the increasing power of the platforms. According to Bloomberg, the European Union is at the moment formulating regulations that “could give the bloc power to split up platforms” if they go beyond the rules.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel objected to the decisions, saying that lawmakers, instead of the private companies, should set the rules governing free speech.

Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said the operators of social media platforms “bear great responsibility for political communication not being poisoned by hatred, by lies and by incitement to violence”.

But Seibert also said that the freedom of opinion is a fundamental right of “elementary significance”. “This fundamental right can be intervened in, but according to the law and within the framework defined by legislators — not according to a decision by the management of social media platforms,” he told reporters in Berlin. “Seen from this angle, the chancellor considers it problematic that the accounts of the US president have now been permanently blocked.”

The French government echoed the German chancellor. Junior Minister for European Union Affairs Clement Beaune said he was “shocked” to see a private company make such an important decision.

In a press conference hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an AFP reporter noted that the Chinese Embassy in the US has posted a tweet a few days ago about Uyghur women.

This tweet said that the anti-extremism policies in Xinjiang have given women more autonomy regarding family planning and whether they want to have children or not. But this tweet has been removed by Twitter because it said this tweet violated its policies.

In response, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian commented that “China’s position and policy on Xinjiang have been consistent and clear. People with a sense of justice can easily tell right from wrong … We hope the relevant party can uphold an objective and unbiased view when handling pertinent issues.”