It is not a secret that the European Union wishes to censor political content on social media. This is, in fact, something that leading figures in the bloc say quite openly, most memorably when French President Macron suggested in 2023 that the state should have the power to arbitrarily shut down social media networks during riots or other times of crisis in order to stop the spread of political discontent.
Earlier this week, the European Commission announced that it was fining Elon Musk’s “X” €120m for the apparent crime of not having a “blue tick” system to the Union’s liking, and not acting swiftly enough to remove content to the Commission’s disliking.
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