Monday saw the European Union take a firm stance towards the dissemination of alleged “disinformation” on TikTok, with one senior official taking to the media to make a pointed demand. Thierry Breton, member of the European Commission, specifically ordered Kevin Mayer, TikTok’s new Chief Executive Officer, to “spare no effort” in combating misleading content. The statement opens up an important conversation about larger societal issues, namely censorship and the freedom of speech.
Any call for censorship, even in the quest of tackling disinformation, is an affront to the ideas of free speech, with politicians increasingly wanting to be the arbiter of truth.
The EU’s demands of TikTok is just the most recent example in a growing list of challenges faced by tech companies worldwide as they face calls to do the censorship work of politicians and bureaucrats.
“My services and I are now investigating whether this is enough to ensure compliance with the DSA (Digital Services Act),” Breton told said to Reuters after meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.
“Because now more than ever, we must spare no effort to protect our citizens – especially children and teenagers – against illegal content and disinformation,” he said.
