Ban on social media platforms? A European Union perspective

Abstract In recent years, social media platforms have become one of the most popular spaces to share ideas and opinions and to get information. Yet, there are some doubts concerning their functioning — for example, their rules of moderation, as well as the manipulation of recommendation algorithms and disinformation. This article analyses whether these reasons would be sufficient to ban social media platforms in the European Union, and its main conclusion is that currently such a ban would violate the freedom of expression adherent to these platforms. The only available option to ban them would be if they violated the EU rules on data protection. The article then deliberates other available options for the European Union to mitigate the enumerated defects of social media platforms. One of them is the use of the Digital Services Act (DSA) provisions; currently, there are ongoing proceedings against Facebook and X concerning the alleged violations of the DSA. Another alternative would be to regulate content moderation and recommendation algorithms on these platforms. Lastly, the EU could create its own, Europe-based platform.