- Currently, governments worldwide are intensifying censorship in the online and offline space, which raises questions about diminishing liberties.
- This has created tensions and possible legal actions against tech companies that governments obligate to regulate the content.
- Recent events show that the relationship between corporate policies and government demands has continued to evolve regarding free speech.
Elon Musk has also made a grave prediction about the future of free speech if Kamala Harris becomes more influential politically. Musk criticized censorship and shared his opinion that free speech could be under pressure if Harris, who demanded that Trump be deleted from Twitter, became a vice president. According to him, Harris wants to take more rigorous measures to regulate what is acceptable in social media spaces, which can limit freedom of speech.
NEW: Elon Musk warns that free speech may not exist if Kamala Harris, who was a strong supporter of removing Trump from Twitter, gets into office.
Here are some attacks on free speech that have taken place this past month:
1. Brazil announces anyone using a VPN to access X will… pic.twitter.com/gmbWYGdmUh
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 30, 2024
For instance Brazil has cracked down on VPN use to access social media with daily fines of up to $8,874, while Germany has similar penalties. Podcast hosts in Germany received death threats for misgendering a trans person.
Tensions Between Tech Companies and Governments
There have also been increasing tensions between the tech companies and various governments. Pavel Durov, the owner of Telegram, was said to have been arrested in France for his inability to control his users.
This incident now shows the problems that tech-based businesses face when operating in different countries with censorship laws. Moreover, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton wrote a letter to Elon Musk, stating that X must adhere to European censorship policies, which is a clear sign of a growing control over online content by state institutions.
Wider Implications for Freedom of Expression
The United Kingdom has also witnessed such trends, where a 55-year-old woman was arrested for spreading what the authorities deemed false information on the internet. The authorities of the United Kingdom are also planning to enact a new law according to which misogyny will be recognized as a type of activism that may lead to an expansion of the list of prohibited speech. These actions have raised concerns regarding the extent to which it is possible to control such content that is often deemed toxic while preserving the First Amendment rights.
Corporate and Government Interactions
CEOs have reacted to these government pressures in various ways; while some have threatened to leave Europe due to censorship, others, like Zuckerberg, have exposed the government’s influence on content moderation. This intersection influences the free speech debate and shapes discussions on freedom of speech.
