EU hate speech guidelines get folded into the Digital Services Act – POLITICO

EU hate speech guidelines get folded into the Digital Services Act – POLITICO

Under the code, online platforms agree to review two-thirds of takedown requests within 24 hours and better transparency over hate speech, the Commission said in a Monday press release. It also sets out a “clear methodology” for “monitoring reporters” – which can be civil society groups or public authorities – to flag problematic material and … Read more

Leaked memo reveals alarming German warnings over Trump – POLITICO

Leaked memo reveals alarming German warnings over Trump – POLITICO

Michaelis describes Trump’s vision as one focused on the “maximum concentration of power with the president at the expense of Congress and the [U.S.] states.” According to the document, key democratic institutions, including the legislature, law enforcement and the media, risk an erosion of their independence and could be “misused as a political arm.”  The … Read more

Zuckerberg urges Trump to stop the EU from fining US tech companies – POLITICO

Zuckerberg urges Trump to stop the EU from fining US tech companies – POLITICO

Zuckerberg complained that the EU had forced U.S. tech companies operating in Europe to pay “more than $30 billion” in penalties for legal violations over the past two decades. Last November, the tech chief’s Meta conglomerate, which operates Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other social media and communications platforms, was fined €797 million for breaching EU … Read more

Musk, Meta fuel far-right attack against EU tech ‘censorship’ – POLITICO

Musk, Meta fuel far-right attack against EU tech ‘censorship’ – POLITICO

Yet, the far-right effort may stymie a push to rein in Big Tech platforms that’s failed so far to live up to its promise. Vandendriessche said this agenda “is completely outdated in a changing world” as “the U.S. is going in the opposite direction.” “Free speech seems to have become a threat for state censors,” … Read more

Britain’s cozy China trip risks America’s anger – POLITICO

Britain’s cozy China trip risks America’s anger – POLITICO

After years of tension with the previous Conservative government over human rights and security concerns, Reeves has political space to take a different, more business-like approach to Beijing and try and tap China’s vast market for economic benefits.  “Everything the Tories did on foreign policy was about backbench management,” said a U.K. government official, who, like … Read more

Musk hosts love-fest with far-right AfD chief on X  – POLITICO

Musk hosts love-fest with far-right AfD chief on X  – POLITICO

The early exchanges in the live audio discussion on Musk’s X social media platform were eclectic, ranging from solar power to the vagaries of Germany business red tape. The pair laughed together, when Weidel asked if Musk understood how burdensome German business rules could be.  “As a matter of fact I do,” he replied, describing … Read more

Albania’s TikTok ban raises rule of law questions – POLITICO

Albania’s TikTok ban raises rule of law questions – POLITICO

“In the EU,” the statement stressed, “any ban of digital services can be considered as a last resort and in relation to an infringement of the transparency and accountability obligations of the law, not in response to individual issues and pieces of online content.” The EU is conducting its own investigation under the Digital Services … Read more

Zuck goes full Musk, dumps Facebook fact-checking program – POLITICO

Zuck goes full Musk, dumps Facebook fact-checking program – POLITICO

The company has no plans to end fact-checking in the EU, the company clarified at POLITICO’s request, and will review its EU content moderation obligations before making changes. The move comes as Meta, and other tech giants, attempt to cozy up to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration in Washington. Meta has also put a … Read more

Pressure mounts on EU to use legal weapons against Musk’s interference – POLITICO

Pressure mounts on EU to use legal weapons against Musk’s interference – POLITICO

Across Europe, teaming up with Weidel is seen as an inflammatory step as members of her populist and anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party have for years been accused of whitewashing and trivializing Nazi crimes. The AfD is currently polling second. French President Emmanuel Macron was quick to accuse Musk of having gone too far … Read more

Farage rejects Tommy Robinson after Musk backs far-right firebrand – POLITICO

Farage rejects Tommy Robinson after Musk backs far-right firebrand – POLITICO

Robinson was banned from Twitter in 2018 for violating its guidelines on “hateful content,” but his account was reinstated last year following Musk’s takeover and rebranding of the platform. He is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence for breaching a court order relating to false claims about a Syrian schoolboy he had made in a … Read more