French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday denounced social media networks for their decisions to “suddenly cut off the microphone” as soon as they were certain Donald Trump would leave power, especially since they had effectively encouraged President Trump during his presidency.
Why it matters: Speaking at an Atlantic Council forum, Macron said that the decisions to ban Trump by platforms such as Twitter and Facebook may have seemed sensible in the short term, but did not produce a “ democratic response. ” Other world leaders, such as Germany’s Angela Merkel, have expressed similar concerns before.
What he says: Macron added that big technology had “killed all platforms where it was possible [Trump] and his followers to express themselves. “
“I don’t want to live in a democracy where the most important decisions … are decided by a private player, a private social network. I want it to be decided by a law approved by your representative, or by regulation, governance, democratically discussed and approved by democratic leaders. “
– Macron
Between the lines: Apple and Google are removing Parler from their app stores, and Amazon has canceled hosting services for the platform, which was popular on the far right. Pro-Trump channels or content has also been removed by Reddit, TikTok, and others.
The big picture: Macron blamed social media platforms for fueling political violence in both France and the US, noting that they were used to “promote the same demonstrations” that eventually led to Trump’s ban.
- “The new violence in our democracies, largely linked to these social networks,” is now “our new way of life,” Macron said.