Members of the European Parliament call on the EU to increase efforts to regulate social media while safeguarding freedom of speech

While working on the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) raised the importance of regulating online platforms through laws rather than relying on corporate guidelines. They stressed that the EU might guarantee freedom of expression and fundamental rights while publicly regulating what should remain online. According to the MEP Annalisa Tardino, lawmakers have a democratic mission to establish clear procedures and rules around the limitations of freedom of speech on social media. In the same meeting, European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová stressed that ‘we need to bring order to the digital expression of democracy and to end the digital wild west’. Jourová suggested that the proposed DSA is likely going to increase the accountability of online platforms and implement clear rules around removing illegal content, such as hate speech and incitement to violence. In addition, she committed to propose a new regulation for online political advertising.