Riots in France | What to do with the social network catalyst?

In response to the riots that shook France, President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday raised the possibility of restricting access to social networks to calm the crisis. Is it possible ? Is it desirable? Questions and answers with three experts.

What has the French government said about this?

Emmanuel Macron raised the idea of ​​”cutting” social networks during a speech to nearly 300 mayors of municipalities affected by the riots last Tuesday.

As his political opponents reacted strongly (and badly), government spokesman Olivier Véran was quickly asked to clarify the president’s remarks. Mr. Véran rather spoke of “suspending functionalities”, and not of a “generalized blackout” of social networks, on Wednesday. Geolocation, which allows rioters to find themselves to form larger crowds, is the main tool targeted.

What is the role of social networks in these riots?

Without being the one and only cause of the riots, social networks have certainly contributed to their extremely rapid spread across the country, due to their enormous capacity for mobilization. “The riots came out of the housing estates and popular neighborhoods to sometimes go to the large and less large cities of France,” notes David Morin, professor at the School of Applied Politics at the University of Sherbrooke. “But the reflection on the role of the internet should not serve to evacuate the root causes of the revolt, which are much more structural causes, such as anger or the feeling of injustice”, he underlines .

There were already riots before social networks. Does the existence of these change anything?

In comparison with the riots of 2005, the most recent of this kind in France, it is the profile displayed by certain rioters that differs. “They are getting younger and younger. We saw minors aged 16-17,” reports Marc Chevrier, professor in the political science department at UQAM.

Is it really possible to restrict access to social networks?

Technologically, this can be done quite easily. The obstacle lies rather in the political dimension of the process. “I do not see how the government can manage to banish them completely”, opines in this sense Marc Chevrier. “I would be quite surprised if this kind of decision passes the constitutional test at the European Court [des droits de l’homme] adds David Morin.

What was done before arriving at this proposal?

The Interior and Justice Ministries have already had thousands of illegal content removed and hundreds of accounts linked to the riots suspended by the managements of Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Their requests are taken very seriously – and dealt with quickly. In May, a bill to “secure and regulate the digital space” was also presented to the French Parliament.

What would be the impacts of a total restriction of access to social networks?

“It’s tricky, thinks Bruno Guglielminetti, host of the digital news podcast My notebook. We are creating an attack on democracy, on information, we are reducing the rights of citizens who have nothing to do with the conflict. And it wouldn’t be smart for the intelligence services, because they would lose a gold mine of knowing: who is talking to whom, and who is organizing what. “It would give rise to all sorts of theories, and it would also risk further altering the bond of trust between citizens and the government,” adds David Morin. This is an avenue that I would not recommend. »

Have we seen this before?

“China, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Bangladesh… we often say that only dictatorships use this,” comments Mr. Guglielminetti. In France, it has never been done. There is, however, a notable exception from a Western country: during the Catalan independence referendum in 2017, the Spanish government cut off access to certain features of Snapchat.

Could a similar situation occur in Quebec?

Twice in the past few days, Montrealers have wanted to organize demonstrations aimed at imitating those in France, either at the Eaton Center and at the Galeries d’Anjou. Social media has made it easy for police to spot and thwart these attempts. “Here, a bill should be tabled in the fall concerning the moderation of harmful content on social networks, adds David Morin. But its scope would be much more restricted. That would apply in cases of glorification of terrorism and violence, or hate speech, for example. »

With Agence France-Presse