EU Chief Takes Aim at Internet Giants Over Freedom of Speech
- Von der Leyen says firms shouldn’t police freedom of speech
- EU commission head speaks at World Economic Forums event
Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a virtual address at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 26.
Photographer: Pascal Bitz/World Economic Forum
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Restrictions should be placed on internet companies so they aren’t in a position to make unilateral decisions that will affect freedom of speech and democratic values, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
“We need to contain this immense power of the big digital companies,” von der Leyen said in a virtual address at the World Economic Forum. “We want the platforms to be transparent about how their algorithms work because we cannot accept that decisions that have a far-reaching impact on our democracy are taken by computer programs alone.”