Disinformation Dilemma: Trump and TikTok Squeeze Europe
Differences in approaches to internet regulation between the United States and the European Union set the stage for two separate social media experiences as President-elect Donald Trump takes office next week.
Center for European Policy Analysis
Europe’s Digital Services Act promised to safeguard democracy from the digital world’s dangerous hazards: disinformation, hate speech, and manipulative online campaigns targeting elections. But the law’s high-minded ambitions have collided with the challenges of on-the-ground enforcement – and look set to clash with the incoming Trump administration.
Romanian authorities suspect China’s TikTok of meddling in the country’s presidential elections. US platforms are veering away from content moderation, attempting to woo the victorious President-elect Donald Trump. Elon Musk has slashed X’s safeguards, while Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta retreats from fact-checking.
A stark difference exists in how Europe and the US police content. Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act gives American social media networks broad immunity for user-generated posts. A new Trump administration looks set to reinforce a hands-off approach.
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