Justice Minister Judit Varga said her ministry is preparing draft legislation to regulate the operation of social media giants in Hungary.
In a Facebook post, the minister said the aim is “legal, transparent and controllable operation”, adding that the regulation binding all other economic players should apply to tech giants too.
While Hungary is cooperating in preparing similar legislation in the European Union, “recent events have shown that we need to act faster to defend people,” she said. “Today, everyone can be arbitrarily switched off from the online space without any official, transparent and fair proceeding and legal remedy,” she added. This goes for state leaders as well as private individuals, she said.
Causing “digital damage” deliberately, whether for ideological or business-related reasons, should have repercussions in Hungary, Minister Varga said. The bill will be submitted to parliament in the spring, she said.