Freedom of expression on the internet and regulation of tech giants

The plan wants to see platforms and ownership structures built on users' freedom and self-determination instead of tech giants' power position, which speaks for binding requirements on the platforms rather than voluntary solutions. Algorithms that promote disinformation and hate against young people are precisely the short-term profit logic the plan wants to regulate. At the same time, the plan values personal integrity, which makes the requirement for user knowledge more questionable, and therefore low confidence is assigned.

• platforms for users' freedomdecisive»ger på användarnas frihet, integritet och självbestämmande, medan« (party programme ↗)“relies on users' freedom, integrity and self-determination, while”
• counteract tech giants' power»techjättarna tvärtom försöker göra sig oundgängliga.« (party programme ↗)“tech giants, on the other hand, try to make themselves indispensable.”
• strategic stance toward large companies»Sverige behöver ett medvetet och strategiskt förhållningssätt till« (party programme ↗)“Sweden needs a conscious and strategic approach to”
• protection of personal integrity»har rätt till skydd av sin personliga integritet.« (party programme ↗)“have the right to protection of their personal integrity.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan states that self-regulation of digital platforms has failed and requires democratic rules for digital communication and clear regulation of artificial intelligence and algorithms at the EU level. It also requires measures against disinformation, hate propaganda and threats. Sharper demands on platforms with sanctions and algorithm regulation are thus the plan's own line, in contrast to voluntary solutions.

• failed self-regulationdecisive»Självregleringen av dessa digitala plattformar har brustit.« (party programme ↗)“Self-regulation of these digital platforms has failed.”
• democratic rules for platforms»Brutna oligopol och demokratiska spelregler för digital kommunikation och artificiell« (party programme ↗)“Broken oligopolies and democratic rules for digital communication and artificial”
• EU regulation of algorithms»Väl fungerande digital inre marknad i EU, med tydlig reglering av artificiell intelligens« (party programme ↗)“Well-functioning digital internal market in the EU, with clear regulation of artificial intelligence”
• measures against disinformation»Åtgärder mot desinformation, hatpropaganda och hot.« (party programme ↗)“Measures against disinformation, hate propaganda and threats.”

The plan calls it a democratic problem that a few tech companies control platforms and wants Sweden to act within the EU for transparency and a more equitable exchange of opinion. It also calls for special efforts against hate and threats that silence groups in democratic discourse. Stricter requirements for platform responsibility and against algorithms that favour disinformation and hate follow from this.

• tech giants' power is a problemdecisive»Det är ett demokratiskt problem att några få globala tech-företag kontrollerar plattformar som blivit viktiga för samhällsdebatt, informationsspridning och direktkommunikation.« (party programme ↗)“It is a democratic problem that a few global tech companies control platforms that have become important for public debate, information dissemination and direct communication.”
• regulation at EU level»Sverige bör agera internationellt och inom EU för demokratisering, vilket innefattar transparens, möjlighet till personlig integritet och ett mer jämlikt åsiktsutbyte.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden should act internationally and within the EU for democratization, which includes transparency, the ability to maintain personal privacy and a more equitable exchange of opinion.”
• efforts against hate and threats»För att undvika att vissa gruppers röster tystnar i det demokratiska samtalet behövs särskilda insatser för att motverka hat och hot.« (party programme ↗)“To prevent certain groups' voices from being silenced in democratic discourse, special efforts are needed to counter hate and threats.”
• disinformation threatens democracy»Vi har sett många exempel där plattformarna använts för att sprida propaganda och påverka demokratiska val.« (party programme ↗)“We have seen many examples where platforms have been used to spread propaganda and influence democratic elections.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme explicitly states that the Center Party opposes increased regulation of the internet and welcomes a digital society with strong protection for freedom of expression and information. The counter-proposal requires precisely increased regulation of platforms with penalties, age limits and algorithm requirements through EU legislation. That the rule of law should also apply online does not change that the plan's main line speaks against such regulation.

• no to increased internet regulationdecisive»Centerpartiet motsätter sig en ökad reglering av internet.« (party programme ↗)“The Center Party opposes increased regulation of the internet.”
• strong protection for freedom of expression»Vi bejakar ett digitalt samhälle med ett starkt skydd för yttrande- och informationsfrihet samt« (party programme ↗)“We embrace a digital society with a strong protection for freedom of expression and information freedom and”
• rule of law also applies digitally»Samtidigt måste rättssamhället finnas även i den digitala sfären.« (party programme ↗)“At the same time, the rule of law must exist in the digital sphere.”
• restraint with EU regulation»Unionens byråkrati får inte överskugga demokratin.« (party programme ↗)“The Union's bureaucracy must not overshadow democracy.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan makes free information flow and strong freedom of the press and expression legislation core commitments, even to the point that access to the entire internet shall be recognized as a human right. Requirements on age restrictions, algorithm regulation and user knowledge with penalties involve extensive political control of what may be spread and by whom. The plan's concern for extremism points partly in another direction, but freedom of expression weighs more heavily in the plan.

• free information flowdecisive»Det fria informationsflödet ska försvaras. Sverige ska verka för att tillgång till hela internet erkänns som en del av de mänskliga rättigheterna.« (party programme ↗)“Free information flow shall be defended. Sweden shall work for access to the entire internet to be recognized as part of human rights.”
• strong freedom of expression regulation»Tryck- och yttrandefrihetslagstiftningen har en unik och stark reglering i Sverige och denna måste fortsatt försvaras inom ramen för det europeiska samarbetet.« (party programme ↗)“Freedom of the press and expression legislation has unique and strong regulation in Sweden and this must continue to be defended within the framework of European cooperation.”
• individual's freedom of expression»Varje människa har rätt att fritt och öppet uttrycka sin åsikt, bilda opinion för den och försöka övertyga andra« (party programme ↗)“Every person has the right to freely and openly express their opinion, form opinion for it and try to persuade others”
• extremism as democracy threat»Den våldsbejakande autonoma vänstern, högerextremismen och den islamistiska extremismen utgör ett hot mot demokratin.« (party programme ↗)“Violent autonomous left-wing extremism, right-wing extremism and Islamist extremism pose a threat to democracy.”

The plan states that freedom of expression cannot be invoked for phenomena that violate human dignity and that abusive treatment must be powerfully countered, while children have the right to a safe growing environment. It also requires close EU cooperation against serious cross-border crime, which is the level the counter-proposal wants to legislate at. Demands for platforms' responsibility, age limits and obstacles against harmful algorithms thus follow from the plan.

• freedom of expression's limit at human dignitydecisive»Yttrandefriheten kan inte tas till intäkt för företeelser som kränker människovärdet.« (party programme ↗)“Freedom of expression cannot be invoked for phenomena that violate human dignity.”
• safe growing environment for children»Barn har rätt till en trygg uppväxtmiljö.« (party programme ↗)“Children have the right to a safe growing environment.”
• EU cooperation against crime»Det krävs ett nära samarbete på EU-nivå för att motverka allvarlig gränsöverskridande« (party programme ↗)“Close cooperation at EU level is required to prevent serious cross-border”
• counter abusive treatment»Mobbning och annan kränkande behandling måste kraftfullt motverkas.« (party programme ↗)“Bullying and other abusive treatment must be powerfully countered.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's answer to fake news and disinformation is a plurality of free and independent media, not regulation of platforms' content and algorithms. The party programme establishes that the alternative to extensive freedom of expression is censorship, discrimination and opinion corridors, and the plan also wants EU rules as a main rule laid at minimum level. The limit of tolerance goes at the enemies of the open society, not at uncomfortable opinions.

• media plurality against disinformationdecisive»Det är också det viktigaste motmedlet mot företeelser såsom ”fake news” och desinformationskampanjer.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is also the most important counter-measure against phenomena such as "fake news" and disinformation campaigns.”
• freedom of expression over censorship»Alternativet är censur, diskriminering och åsiktskorridorer.« (party programme ↗)“The alternative is censorship, discrimination and opinion corridors.”
• EU rules at minimum level»Minska regelkrånglet och onödig byråkrati, bland annat genom att motverka överimplementering i Sverige av EU-beslut – som huvudregel ska EU-direktiv genomföras på miniminivå« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, among other things by countering over-implementation in Sweden of EU decisions - as a main rule, EU directives shall be implemented at minimum level”
• limits of tolerance»Den kan inte utsträckas till det öppna samhällets fiender.« (party programme ↗)“It cannot be extended to the enemies of the open society.”

flags: citat_migrerat

The plan demands that freedom of expression on the internet is strengthened and that only content that is prohibited according to Swedish law may be censored by platforms, and that guidelines from the EU about what content may be provided are prevented. The counter-proposal's demands for platform responsibility, age restrictions and algorithm regulation implemented through EU legislation are in conflict with both these commitments. The plan's demands for algorithm transparency, however, covers some of the counter-proposal's concerns.

• no to EU-controlled contentdecisive»Sverigedemokraterna vill förhindra pekpinnar från EU som hotar att bestämma vilket innehåll som får tillhandahållas genom digitala tjänster och hur material får spridas på Internet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats want to prevent guidelines from the EU that threaten to determine what content may be provided through digital services and how material may be distributed on the Internet.”
• Swedish law as censorship limit»Utgångspunkten ska vara att endast innehåll som passerar vad som är tillåtet enligt yttrandefriheten enligt svensk lag ska få censureras av plattformarna och att godtycklig avstängning eller begränsning av användarkonton ska förbjudas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The starting point shall be that only content that passes what is permitted according to freedom of expression under Swedish law may be censored by platforms and that arbitrary suspension or restriction of user accounts shall be prohibited.”
• protection against EU censorship»Försvara yttrandefriheten mot EU-censur och politiska påverkansoperationer« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Defend freedom of expression against EU censorship and political influence operations”
• transparent algorithms»Transparensen kring hur algoritmer påverkar spridningseffekten utifrån innehåll ska öka och ska inte kunna vara avhängigt subjektiva värderiktningar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Transparency about how algorithms affect the spread effect based on content shall increase and shall not be dependent on subjective value judgements.”