Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, has taken a clear stance against China's model of internet regulation, claiming that it violates human rights. He believes that countries like China are less democratic than Western countries and that it is dangerous for them to spread such models.
In an online discussion with the European Union's Internal Market Commissioner, Thierry Breton, he said: "This spread is very dangerous. I am concerned about the expansion of this model to other countries. The best antidote is to have a clear regulatory framework that will start from Western democratic countries and become a model for the rest of the world."
This is the latest incident in his "contradiction" with China, as last year Mark Zuckerberg, in an attempt to block China, said that it is important not to allow this country to have influence over internet. In addition, last October, he denounced Tik Tok, for government censorship through messages about protests in Hong Kong.
When Breton rejected Mark Zuckerberg’s plans for a regulatory framework for the platform, the mood between them changed slightly. The commissioner called for a governance model between platforms and institutions, saying: “That’s what I’m trying to build. The less I have to supervise, the better… we’ll be able to act faster.”
The committee is preparing a package of laws on how companies will deal with illegal content online, which will include requirements, in advance, for gatekeeper platforms. Future laws will of course target Facebook. “It worked very well for telecommunications and we will do the same for platforms that can play a very important role.”
According to Mark Zuckerberg, the real question is "which of the two models will be established in the world," and it will be answered in the next 5 to 10 years.
"Something I appreciate about Europeans is that when the European Union sets policies, it becomes a model for the world."
