Key Points:
French President Emmanuel Macron argued that free speech on social media cannot truly exist without transparency.
He was speaking at an event on India–France university partnerships, where he criticised social media companies who advocate that social media platforms protect free speech.
His remarks triggered widespread debate online, with some users criticising his stance as anti–free speech.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s take on free speech has sparked a debate on the internet, with several social media users questioning whether his views on free speech in the context of social media are “concerning.” His position, calling free speech ridiculous, directly contradicts what the first U.S. President, George Washington, once said.
“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”George Washington
On February 18, 2026, Emmanuel Macron, President of France, questioned the democratic impact of free speech on social media. He also raised concerns about the true nature of social media algorithms enabled by tech companies to prioritise and personalise users’ feeds according to their views and ideologies.
He was speaking at an event on India–France university partnerships, where he criticised social media companies and tech barons who advocate the view that social media platforms protect free speech. According to him, the notion presented by these tech leaders is not convincing. Bloomberg quoted Macron as saying that social media algorithms could have a monumental impact on democracy.
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“Having no clue about how their algorithm is made, how it’s tested, trained and where it will guide you — the democratic consequences of this bias could be huge,” said Macron.
He further added that he agrees with the concept of social media algorithms only if there is transparency. He added, “Some of them claim to be in favour of free speech. Ok, we are in favour of free algorithms, but if they are totally transparent.”
The French President then called the idea of free speech “bullsh**.” He said, “Free speech is pure bullshit if nobody knows how you are guided through this.” He further added that all algorithms have biases and “we know that. There is no doubt.”
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Macron’s views on free speech come amid European countries moving forward with plans to ban social media for young users. The move has been championed by the French President, who cited the need to protect children from excessive screen time. In December 2025, Australia became the world’s first country to ban social media for minors under the age of 16.
However, Macron’s views on free speech have sent the internet into a spiral, with many users criticising the statement given by a country’s president. A user on X even posted a photograph of Macron’s face photoshopped onto North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. Other users called the ideology unoriginal and took a dig at other leaders: “every dictator from Stalin to Castro and Starmer said that. Not very original,” wrote the user.
While some criticised Macron, others defended his views and stated that they were taken out of context. “I hate him. But it's not exactly what he's saying. He's saying the algorithm is "guiding" people & that the "so called free speech" is not real. While it's true algorithms are building our feeds on social media, "free speech" is something else & have nothing to do with the feed.” said a user.
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