• For a social media equivalent of public broadcasting

Dear people using social media and officials - in particular Ursula von der Leyen, Henna Virkkunen, Ekaterina Zaharieva, Michael McGrath, Valdis Dombrovskis, Andrius Kubilius, Kaja Kallas, all European leaders from UK to Ukraine, all European Parliament members, all European parliaments members

I’m calling on to you today because I think we need a new social media platform that is publicly owned and regulated by European laws.

So here I am asking you to build it. (Technically speaking, I’m pretty sure it’s humanly possible.)

I say we *need* an alternative to a “world forum” that is getting paid to gleefully undress women and children – or still-warm bodies. (Obviously, something they did not consent to – children because they are too young, adults because if they had, no undressing IA would be needed.) There is no “freedom to undress”.

This is the last outrage on a long list from a platform that openly, blatantly promotes hate, disinformation and harassment, shutting up the voices it does not like or that contradicts the owner’s narrative.

Using an abusive platform for formal communication shouldn’t be tolerated. The thing is, a comparable alternative doesn’t exist.

Anyone wanting to stay in touch with official social media accounts, notably from governments and politicians, has to dive into what has turned into a hateful, abusive propaganda channel, because there is no other place where all these official social media accounts are.

This has to change.

There are a few alternatives, yes. But no consensus on any of them. And anyway, official accounts did not migrate anywhere.

Also, these platforms fall under American law. That is to say, according to Trump, no law, just “his morality”. The communication channel between people worldwide shouldn’t depend on Trump’s (or anyone)’s whim.

Social media are now unavoidable.  For many, an alternative to traditional media. Their only source of information. Currently, they enjoy no form of protection whatsoever against hateful, divisive and misleading narratives. Which put our common security at risk.

Social media can’t all be privately owned. We’ve had numerous examples that, when money talks, public interest is of no concern.

So we need a public alternative.

Like public broadcasting, but for social media. Where freedom of speech is guaranteed, *under the condition* users (actually do) abide by the rule of law. European laws, not Trump’s whims.

Therefore, it must both be public and European. Open to all, of course. Under the conditions our laws are respected.

Building it would require investment and work. But it’s worth both. And last time I checked, creating jobs and reinforcing our sovereignty wasn’t the worst thing.

Yes, such an initiative would be criticized as “an attempt to prevent freedom of speech”.

Daring to do what we want on our land, with a public model instead of a private for-profit company would certainly trigger angry responses from supposed-to-be allies and hostiles states alike. That’s the reason this petition is also addressed to Kaja Kallas, in her  High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy capacity.

Becayse it "could be" we do *not* have to abide by what private, for-profit models or other countries like best. “Take back control” and all that.

“Maybe” we are allowed to exercise our own agency. To shield ourselves from harm. Urgently.

Opening a new world forum, encouraging even more conversations isn’t an assault on freedom of speech. Breaking monopolies, especially toxic monopolies is fine.

It definitively would be an assault on the “freedom” to break the law though. The “freedom” to threaten, harass, undress.

But what about the right to a decent, lawful space?

What’s wrong with compliance with the rule of law?

X today is what RT was – a global disinformation platform that has a clear aim: promoting hate, misogyny, racism, LGBT+phobia and so on, for the sake of a toxic ideology that wants wealth and corrupted supremacy to trump laws established by democratic votes.

Democracy needs a social media platform.

Please build it.

If you agree with what I’ve just said, please consider signing this petition.