A new European Union report seems to spell serious danger for the fate of free speech in Europe.
The European Union’s (EU) dystopian 2030 Digital Decade Report boasted of the EU’s work to combat alleged disinformation and urged censorship of free speech. The report also celebrated the EU’s progress toward universal implementation of “eID,” a digital identification storing important personal data, and scare-mongered about supposed “hate speech” online.
The EU report bragged about the anti-free speech Digital Services Act (DSA), claiming, “The EU is strengthening the protection against online harms and disinformation for a safer, more transparent digital space.” The DSA aims to regulate and suppress not only “illegal content” but also supposed “disinformation.”
The Digital Decade Report cited data from the Eurobarometer 2024 Report, which allegedly found that 45 percent of European citizens believe “fake news and disinformation” have a “major personal impact” on their lives. Eurobarometer researchers also supposedly found that “non-justified removal of content and non-transparent content moderation practices were the two least mentioned issues” by citizens. Thus the EU seemed to justify tyranny in suppressing free speech by claiming popular support.
Tellingly, the reports cited data without clarifying which questions Eurobarometer used to obtain results that allegedly show citizens’ lack of concern over censorship. As a result, the EU report writers saw no issue with declaring that both governments and private sector actors should collude to suppress online free speech.
Related: EU Official Threatens Meta, TikTok, X: Censor Free Speech or Face ‘Penalties’
“Online risks are on the rise and disinformation has been identified as one of the most destabilising factors for our societies, requiring comprehensive, coordinated action across borders and actors,” the report dramatically pronounced.
It asserted a significant amount of content was prejudiced racially or against certain “sexual orientation[s]” amongst other kinds of “hate speech.” However, this is a vague term often applied by leftists to any content with which they disagree.
The EU report could raise the question of whether digital IDs might one day be linked to online social media and used as a form of censorship. The EU digital ID wallet would be used for such wildly diverse activities as “open[ing] a new bank account, enrol[ling] in a university abroad, or apply[ing] for your next dream job.”
For example, Communist China’s digital ID penalizes citizens whose online comments contradict government narratives. If eID becomes “sovereign” as the report planned, will censorship and access to any public sector services and activities become connected in the EU?
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Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on so-called “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using MRC Free Speech America’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
