Head of the European Union delegation in Dhaka Ambassador Charles Whiteley has said that Brussels regulates social media sites such as Facebook to stop hate speech and incitement of violence.
“We've regulated in Europe through our Digital Security and Services Act, which puts an onus on companies like Facebook, for example, and Meta and so on,” he said, adding that they are also discussing taking further steps.
“For example, if they don't take hate speech down very quickly from the Internet, there will be consequences in the European market. So some of that's through voluntary regulation. But I think there's also discussion about how further steps can be taken,” he added.
The ambassador was replying to a question at the “DCAB Talk” of Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh on Monday about the EU, Bangladesh relationship.
DCAB President Nurul Islam Hasib and General Secretary Ashiqur Rahman Apu conducted the program.
The question came as the debate was going on in Bangladesh about the regulations of Facebook due to its use for spreading rumours and hate speeches.
Minority leaders, civil society members, anti-war crimes campaigners, and families of war heroes have recently said that Facebook failed to comply with the guidelines to stop the tide of hate speech, incitement, or communal violence in Bangladesh for over a decade.
The ambassador said “every country is trying to grapple with the toxic underbelly of the internet and the impact it's having on, you know, society. We're doing that through regulation.”
“And you're having exactly the same debate in Bangladesh,” he acknowledged.
“So, of course, you've had the DSA, you've had the Cyber Security Act, and you're talking about how to address disinformation. But the key point underpinning everything is you have to do it in a way that preserves and respects the right to freedom of speech, and the right to freedom of expression.
“And it's a very fine line to tread,” he said, adding that “a responsible government has to navigate this very fine line between stopping violence, stopping hate crime, and allowing legitimate free speech.”
“And I think we can all learn from each other, and that's what we're doing,” he said as he was asked whether the EU can help Bangladesh regulators in dealing with the Facebook authority.
“We all need to have freedom of speech, but we also need security and safety in our societies, and that's a tricky conundrum,” he said.