Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 7 November 2019
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Session 4: International Collaboration
Mr. Rogier Huizenga:
That is a very complex question because it cuts across many of the issues we are discussing. It is about seeing if there is a real willingness for countries to come together around a common norm. I could see that happening with regard to some issues. I mentioned hate speech, and there are quite a number of international standards in jurisprudence, but there are still many differences between countries, including at the European level, and different approaches are being followed. I do not see an immediate end of the tunnel with countries coming together with a unified approach and vision as to what harmful content, and even hate speech, should exactly look like. This is all the more reason for countries to make that extra effort to see if it is not possible after all to do just that. Ultimately, if tech companies can move their business around and simply disappear but continue with the same business model wherever they can, that is not a long-term solution.
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