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STRASBOURG – A complete ban on TikTok is not the solution to the problem, believe Bulgarian MEPs. On the day when the European Commission officially launched an investigation against the social network due to the elections in Romania, the topic was widely discussed in the EP plenary hall in Strasbourg. After the debate, BTA sought comments from Bulgarian MEPs from different political groups. They united around the position that a complete ban on TikTok is not the solution to the problem, but were of differing opinions on whether strict regulation of social networks is necessary.
“I don’t think that if we turn social networks into forbidden fruit, we will stop their influence,” said MEP from EPP/GERB Eva Maydel. “I do not believe that we can influence algorithms or chatbots only by imposing fines on technology companies. We need to have strengthened legislation,” she added. Maydel described what happened in Romania as manipulation supported by Russia and did not rule out a similar scenario for countries like Bulgaria, Austria, or Germany.
Kristian Vigenin from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats – BSP insists on stricter regulations for the algorithms used by TikTok. “We need to know the way they work, how they are created, how they track our activity, and what they sell us. The issue is not just to ban TikTok and annul the elections. The issue is to see who the people are who voted for Calin Georgescu in Romania. Don’t tell me that just because someone saw videos on TikTok, they decided to vote for him. It doesn’t work that way,” Vigenin is convinced.
In contrast, Petar Volgin from the Europe of Sovereign Nations – “Revival” is suspicious of any type of regulation. According to him, behind them lie prohibitive instincts. According to Volgin, if social networks are regulated, they will become more compliant, not more responsible or safe. “In the same way, we can blame knife manufacturers for being responsible for knife murders. But knives are not to blame. People use them. The matter is not to ban the social network because there are some dangerous practices through it. The matter is to make people not succumb to bad influences. It’s the same as with the atom. You have an atomic bomb, but you also have nuclear power plants. One is good, the other is not,” said Volgin.
A similar comparison was made by Ivaylo Valchev from the European Conservatives and Reformists group – “There Is Such a People”. “This is like talking about weapons. A weapon does not kill by itself. A gun or an automatic weapon does not fire without someone holding and pulling the trigger,” he noted, adding that the problem is not with the platforms, but with the people. Ivaylo Valchev also explained that the technical issue with TikTok is that it is not known where its data is stored and where its servers are located, but he added that a complete ban on TikTok would be a knee-jerk reaction. “It is very important not to close channels through which a person can express their opinion or obtain information. This is a fundamental human right,” said Valchev.
And according to Nikola Minchev from the “Renew Europe” group – “We Continue the Change”, a complete ban on one or another social network is not the solution to the problem. “I would always give the example of Prohibition in the USA. Did it lead to the absence of alcohol consumption? No. It led to illegal alcohol sales. So we must be very careful if by imposing a complete ban, we actually do not open Pandora’s box somewhere else,” he commented.
According to him, misinformation and hybrid attacks remain a patent of the Russians. “Why? Because they lack the attractive force that the EU and the Western world as a whole have. When the EU reaches out to citizens openly and publicly, to the citizens of Moldova or Georgia, when the EU reaches out to the citizens of such countries with a call to vote for the pro-European path of these countries, where we will share common values and, naturally, the chance for a similar standard is very high, this means something, it has its attractive force. Since Russia lacks such an attractive force, it is forced to “pull” countries through alternative methods, with such hybrid attacks,” said Nikola Minchev. (December 18)