In a recent column for Politico, European Union Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton wrote that the EU needs stricter regulations on social media, given last week's storming of the US Capitol.

According to Reuters, Breton wrote: “If anyone still doubted that online platforms have become systemic actors for our societies and democracies, last week’s events on Capitol Hill were the answer.”

The commissioner compared the events in Washington on January 6 to the September 11, 2001 attacks, which triggered numerous changes in security laws for all nations. According to the EU leadership member, “[social networks] can no longer hide their responsibility towards society by arguing that they only provide hosting for services.”

When several social media platforms blocked Donald Trump's accounts after the Capitol riot, they recognized their responsibility to prevent misinformation from becoming propaganda on the internet, Breton wrote. Twitter, Facebook e Snapchat banned Trump from their platforms last week, while online marketplace Shopify removed stores who sold promotional materials for the US president's campaign.

The EU has been taking action to limit the power of Big Tech companies in the economic bloc. Last month, the European Union introduced the proposal of Digital Services Act, which will require social networks with more than 45 million users to combat information manipulation that could influence elections and public health issues. Thus, companies that fail to comply with the law will face fines of up to 6% of their revenue.

Featured image: Sara Kurfeß (Unsplash)