Germany: Introduced motion concerning freedom of expression on social networks (No. 20/13364)

On 15 October 2024, a motion was introduced to the lower chamber of the federal parliament named “No restriction of freedom of expression in social networks - Advocate for the abolition of the Digital Services Act - Until then, safeguard fundamental rights during implementation” (20/13364). The motion criticises the suppression of legally permissible user posts on social networks through deletion or reduction of reach, attributing this to the operators' internal policies against “hate speech” and “health misinformation”. It calls on the Federal Government to cease financial support to organisations influencing social network operators to delete user posts protected by freedom of expression laws, to instruct the Federal Cartel Office to investigate and end potential anti-competitive deletion practices and to advocate at the European level for the abolition of the Digital Service Act (DSA) while ensuring its implementation respects fundamental rights. Furthermore, the motion would require the government to refrain from appointing “trusted flaggers” under DSA.