Macron Requires Regulation of Social Media to Stem ‘Risk to Democracy’

PARIS—French President Emmanuel Macron called for global legislation to curb the spread of ideological extremism in Western democracies, chiding tech firms and political correctness for permitting it to flourish.

Talking to a neighborhood of reporters inner the Élysée Palace, Mr. Macron said the storming of the U.S. Capitol turned into as soon as a signal of the West’s failure to rein in social media platforms, permitting them to turn into incubators of detest, faithful relativism and conspiracy theories.

The French chief chided tech firms—with out naming them—for giving veteran President Donald Trump a platform to “spread detest” for years earlier than taking action. Twitter Inc. banned Mr. Trump’s personal sage in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, citing the danger of additional incitement of violence. Fb Inc. presented a brief suspension of Mr. Trump after the insurrection earlier than extending that action indefinitely.

“All these who allowed President Trump to prevail waited till they had been fully decided that he had no energy left to then wrap themselves in dignity and now command ‘Let’s buy away his whistle,’” Mr. Macron said. “Why didn’t they shut down his accounts earlier than all this occurred?”

Mr. Macron said governments had delegated too valuable authority to tech firms by staring at for them to behave as stewards for Western democracy. “This is an yell for staunch global legislation,” Mr. Macron said.