France was rocked by riots causing millions of euros worth of damage earlier this month and many have linked the use of social media platforms to the rioters, arguing that the violence has been organised through popular online apps.
European Union Internal Commissioner Thierry Breton stated this week that under new content laws, social media platforms could face being shut down if they fail to remove content from their platforms that may be encouraging rioting or unrest, Franceinfo reports.
“When there is hateful content, content that calls—for example—for revolt, that also calls for killing and burning of cars, they will be required to delete [the content] immediately,” he said.
“If they fail to do so, they will be immediately sanctioned. We have teams who can intervene immediately,” Breton said and added, “If they don’t act immediately, then yes, at that point we’ll be able not only to impose a fine but also to ban the operation [of the platforms] on our territory.”
The new content rules are set to take effect on August 25th and will cover nineteen different social media platforms such as Tik Tok, Snapchat, Twitter, and Facebook.
Breton also denounced social media algorithms that may promote urban violence saying, “the algorithms that push, as we know, these highly viral content [images of urban violence] because it brings advertising,” and added, “All this will be strictly prohibited.”
The European Commissioner’s comments come just a week after French President Emmanuel Macron made similar remarks regarding the role of social media platforms during the riots this month, which were sparked by the fatal shooting of a teenager named Nahel in Nanterre by a French police officer.
“We need to have a reflection on social networks, on the bans that must be put in place. And, when things get out of hand, maybe you have to put yourself in a position to regulate or cut them,” President Macron said.
“Above all, we shouldn’t do this in the heat of the moment and I’m pleased we didn’t have to. But I think it’s a real debate that we need to have in the cold light of day,” he said.
Macron’s comments were not met with great reception from opposition politicians, who accused him of wanting to emulate totalitarian regimes by censoring the internet.
“The country of the rights of man and citizens cannot align itself with those great democracies of China, Russia and Iran,” French Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure said.
The true scale of the damage caused by the riots has yet to be revealed but according to the French newspaper Le Parisien, insurance companies are already estimating the damage may be over 650 million euros.
So far, insurers say they have received 11,300 claims relating to the rioting, with the Federation of Insurers stating that 90% of the costs are from professionals and local communities, though they represent just one-third of the claims so far.
Tobacco shops were the most affected by the riots, with 436 reportedly vandalised, 10% of which were totally destroyed while 75% were looted. A total of 370 bank branches were attacked, 200 food shops and 60 sports shops were all looted, along with fast food restaurants
The figures are a startling increase from the 2005 riots that lasted around three weeks in the suburbs of Paris and saw around 10,000 vehicles set on fire, 233 public buildings attacked and over 4,000 people arrested but the estimated damage totalled just around 200 million euros.
