Trump and Twitter

​​The story about Twitter that dared to label tweets of Donald Trump should be well known by now. This triggered memories with me about the early days of the internet. We had great expectations about open access to information and a world growing closer together. We favoured an industry-led approach with light regulation. The dispute between Trump and Twitter illustrates how reality has turned out differently. We can also learn lessons for future regulation, such as the envisaged 'Digital Service Act' by the EU.

Social Media and democracy


​The US election and the Corona pandemic have once again revealed the corrosive impact social media can have on our societies. Paradoxically or ironically, both conspiracy theorists and defenders of science and reason use the term ‘fake news’ to argue their course. This shows the polarisation of liberal societies, which is being exacerbated by social media to an extent that it puts in danger the functioning of our democratic systems. There are no straightforward answers, and we may have to think out of the box.

twitter without trump


​Twitter and other social media suspended the account of Donald Trump. This has led to a discussion whether platforms should be allowed to take such decisions. Politicians have expressed their concern about 'freedom of speech'. Yet, they overlook the legal reality, the role of platforms and the pitfalls of regulation. The proposed Digital Services Act by the European Commission would add transparency and strengthen user rights, inter alia, but would not tackle the autonomy of platforms to set their own rules within the boundaries of general law.