French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday criticized social media for his decisions to “suddenly cut off the microphone” as soon as they were sure Donald Trump would step down, especially because they had effectively “demanded President Trump” during the his presidency.
Why it’s important: Speaking at an Atlantic Council forum, Macron said decisions to ban Trump for platforms like Twitter and Facebook may seem sensible in the short term, but did not provide a “democratic response.” Other world leaders such as Germany’s Angela Merkel have previously raised similar concerns.
What it says: Macron added that “high technology” had killed every platform where possible [Trump] and his supporters to express themselves. “
“I don’t want to live in a democracy where the key decisions … are decided by a private player, a private social network. I want it to be decided by a law passed by your representative or by regulation, governance, democratically discussed and passed by democratic leaders. “
– Macron
Between lines: Apple and Google removed Parler from their app stores and Amazon canceled hosting services from the platform, which was popular on the far right. Reddit, TikTok and others have also removed pro-Trump channels or content.
The general picture: Macron blamed social media platforms for fueling political violence in both France and the United States, noting that they were used to “promote the same demonstrations” that eventually led to Trump’s ban.
- “The new violence in our democracies, largely tied to these social networks,” is now “our new way of life,” Macron said.