Macron suggests blocking social media during riots
Addressing the mayors of 200 communes gathered at the Elysée Palace on Tuesday, July 4, French President Emmanuel Macron raised the idea of measures to block social media platforms in the event of new riots, writes Le Monde.
"We need to have a think about social media, about the bans we need to put in place," he said. "And when things get out of hand, we may need to put ourselves in a position to regulate or cut them off."
A few hours later in the Sénat, during debates on the bill to "secure the digital environment," Jean-Noël Barrot, minister delegate in charge of the Digital Transition, referred to a "reflection" on the subject that could be completed by the autumn.
"The president of the Republic himself said earlier that we must not take measures that are too harsh in the heat of the moment that we may regret later, but we need to start thinking about this. I propose that we engage in this reflection together [as part of the discussions on the digital bill] so that by September we can find the wording that will suit us."
