The Labour government is ramping up plans to control online speech in its very well-coordinated campaign to enact legislation against “online bullying”. The Parliamentary Secretary for Reforms and Equality Rebecca Buttigieg penned an article today in The Times of Malta, advocating for the regulation of social media. These plans follow calls to enact legislation that regulate social media and online bullying by MEP Alex Agius Saliba and now EU Commissioner for Youth and Culture Glenn Micallef.
In addition to Labour’s campaign to regulate online behaviour, the government is also proposing further restrictions on free speech with a law tabled in parliament that provides for the absolute right to privacy of all individuals.
This coordinated campaign to regulate social media and privacy is being conducted in bad faith and with the ulterior motive to restrict free speech. Mainly these laws are actually targeted against hard-hitting and investigative journalism and satire, ultimately protecting politicians’ interests. There are already strict laws that prohibit and even criminalise online bullying and some of these laws can be found in the Electronic Communications Act.
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