By: V4 Agency
The EU plans to censor terrorism-related online content. Although a preliminary agreement is already in place, its structure is uncertain, because Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson continues to identify terrorism as mainly a right-wing threat.
The European Commission promises effective compensation for users whose shared content has been deleted by the Union’s new online censorship programme.
The aim of the agreement is to remove terrorist-related content from the internet, which will allow authorities in all 27 member states to order platforms to remove content they deem harmful. With the initiative, the EU can avoid the recurrence of tragic incidents such as the Paris terrorist attacks.
The question, however, of where the Commission sees these threatening contents remains unanswered. Prior to accepting the preliminary agreement, Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson gave an interview to Swedish public radio, where she explained her views. When asked whether – in light of the terrorist attack linked to Muslim perpetrators – Islamic terrorism was the biggest threat to Europe, the commissioner quickly changed the subject.
“It’s a really significant threat,” Johansson said, “but we have to admit that aggressive right-wing extremism is also a growing threat. We need to be careful when we think we know exactly what the threat looks like, and we have to be prepared for all kinds of extremism,” she added.