French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday criticized social media for their decisions to “cut the microphone abruptly” as soon as they were sure Donald Trump would step down, especially since they “subdued President Trump” during his presidency.
Why does it matter: Speaking at an Atlantic Council forum, Macron said decisions to ban Trump by platforms such as Twitter and Facebook might seem sensible in the short term, but did not provide a “democratic response.” Other world leaders, such as Germany’s Angela Merkel, have previously expressed similar concerns.
What it says: Macron added that high technology “killed all platforms where possible [Trump] and its supporters to express themselves. “
“I don’t want to live in a democracy where the key decisions … are made 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 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 have also been removed by Reddit, TikTok and others.
The whole picture: Macron blamed social media 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 related to these social networks, is now” our new way of life, “Macron said.