The practice of so-called ‘shadow banning’ is stifling freedom of expression online and may have to be addressed through regulatory measures, Hungary’s Minister of Justice Judit Varga has said, accusing Facebook of inhibiting “Christian, conservative, right-wing opinions”.
‘Shadow banning’ refers to the act of blocking users of social media platforms from posting content, without having informed them that such restrictions have been put in place. Major platforms strongly deny that such activities take place.
On Tuesday (19 January), Varga sat down with Csaba Rigó, president of the Hungarian Competition Authority, to discuss ways to reign in the ‘problematic commercial practices’ of platforms giants.