[Two of America’s Big Tech companies, Meta and X, are opening the door to more “free expression” even if it means more hateful content, while in Europe, Big Tech companies are voluntarily cracking down. This highlights the divergent online experiences between Europeans and Americans, with the EU forging ahead with tech safety and accountability legislation, while similar proposals have languished in the United States.
Tech platforms including Meta, X, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch, LinkedIn, and YouTube have signed onto an updated European Union code of conduct to combat online hate speech. Meanwhile, Meta and X have made changes in the US that they acknowledge could usher in more hateful speech, arguing that such changes promote freedom of speech and combat censorship.
The contrast is striking. The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) mandates Big Tech platforms take meaningful steps to reduce illegal and harmful content, and as part of the agreement, tech companies agree to allow independent “monitoring reporters” to review their platforms and take action on most of the content they flag. In the US, Meta and X have shrunk teams whose job was to ensure the safety of their platforms, including from people who seek to foment hate and violence.
The differences in US and EU tech users’ online experiences have accumulated over time, with EU regulators seeking to address issues such as hate speech, disinformation, and the spread of harmful content. In contrast, the US has been slow to address these issues, with some politicians equating content moderation with “censorship.”
The platforms’ US moves may reflect the changing American political environment, where many Republican leaders have expressed support for a reinterpretation of the tech immunity law Section 230. Some have called for tech companies to be protected from lawsuits over user-posted content only if they do little-to-no content moderation. This could lead to an online environment that is increasingly permissive of hate speech and other harmful content.
The divergence in online experiences between Europeans and Americans also extends beyond hate speech. Europeans are protected from having their personal demographic information collected by tech companies without their consent, and have greater protections against targeted online ads. As Big Tech leaders have cozied up to the new American administration, there is a risk that this divergence could become less pronounced.
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