President Karol Nawrocki has vetoed a government bill that would have implemented the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) in Poland. He argued that the law could enable state officials to limit free speech by censoring online content, warning that it risked introducing a form of administrative censorship.
Nawrocki said the law would have given state officials excessive power to remove online content while undermining freedom of expression. “As president, I cannot sign a bill that effectively amounts to administrative censorship,” he said, comparing the proposed system to Orwell’s 1984.
Digital affairs minister Krzysztof Gawkowski criticised the veto, arguing it weakens online safety and protects criminals rather than free speech. Media organisations and human-rights groups also warned that blocking the law would hamper efforts to counter ‘disinformation,’ particularly from Russia.
Poland now risks penalties from the European Union for failing to implement the DSA, after the European Commission previously referred the country to the EU’s top court over delays in enforcing the bloc’s digital rules.
