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French government could cut off social media during unrest, says Macron

Here is a summary of the article:

• French President Emmanuel Macron has said the government should have the power to control social media networks during periods of unrest.

• Macron made the comments during an interview with a French TV station. He was referring to recent protests in France against the government's cost of living policies.

• Macron said during periods of crisis, the government needs the power to "block content that goes against republican values and is clearly creating confusion and putting people's lives at risk."

• Critics say Macron's call for more government control of social media raises concerns about censorship and freedom of speech.

• Opposition politicians accused Macron of attacking fundamental French freedoms and wanting to restrict the free flow of information.

• Macron countered that social media networks are already heavily regulated in France over issues like hate speech and terrorist propaganda. He argued the government needed similar powers during unrest.

23 comments
  • If Macron persists in his autocratic style, I can't help but wonder—given France's historical penchant for the guillotine—what might be metaphorically 'cut off' next.

  • If Orban had said this, it would have been outrage, and rightly so. But liberal darling Macron says it and from luminaries like Verhofstadt there is only crickets...

    (I'm using "liberal" in the European sense, not the US sense.)

  • Well, that will set a lovely precedent for other "free" democracies... the people are angry at you? Just take their voice! What could go wrong...

23 comments