The US State Department’s bureau of democracy, human rights, and labor has criticised foreign governments who ‘coerce’ social media platforms to censor users.
In a statement, the bureau wrote, ‘The Department of State is deeply concerned about efforts by governments to coerce American tech companies into targeting individuals for censorship. Freedom of expression must be protected – online and offline.’
It particularly condemned actions by countries such as Australia, where official bodies attempted to force X owner Elon Musk to censor a Canadian campaigner.