[0.00-6.40] Hello, once again from Brussels. What is happening in Europe right now is actually bigger than just
[6.40-12.88] one law. It is much bigger. Step by step, under different labels, the European Union is beginning
[12.88-19.76] to regulate not only what happens online, but who may speak, how people may speak, and under
[19.76-26.56] what conditions citizens may access the digital public square itself. First, there was the Digital
[26.56-33.60] Services Act, then proposals for chat control, now age verification systems, and an idea
[33.60-40.64] requirement for social media is already in the works. Always presented as reasonable, always
[40.64-46.40] for safety, always for protection, protection of children, protection of democracy, protection
[46.40-52.96] against the disinformation. But every generation in history has heard the same argument.
[53.68-60.40] Give us more control, and we will keep you safe. That's a lie. The internet was once the
[60.40-68.48] freest public space in human history. Messy? Yes, sometimes unpleasant, of course, but it was free.
[69.20-75.04] And now the EU is slowly transforming it into a permission-based space, where platforms have to
[75.04-80.80] monitor speech, where governments pressure intermediaries, where algorithms shape visibility,
[80.80-87.12] and where citizens increasingly have to identify themselves simply to participate online.
[87.84-94.56] Think about what that means. A society where access to digital public space depends on age
[94.56-101.04] verification, identity systems, content moderation, structures, and regulatory compliance
[101.04-107.84] is no longer a truly free public square. It becomes managed speech, managed visibility,
[107.84-116.72] managed participation. And when such systems exist, they never remain limited to their original
[116.72-123.20] purpose. It's the slippery slope. Today, protect the children, tomorrow, protect democracy,
[123.20-129.68] the day after, protect social cohesion, or whatever they come up with next. And suddenly,
[129.68-137.28] every political opinion that challenges prevailing orthodoxy, risks being treated as a systemic risk.
[138.00-144.00] This is the real danger, not one single law, but the architecture being built,
[144.00-150.56] piece by piece. A society where anonymous participation disappears,
[150.56-156.80] where private communication is weakened, where online platforms increasingly act under political
[156.80-164.16] pressure, and where unelected bureaucrat structures define the boundaries of acceptable digital
[164.16-172.48] behavior. Europe should defend free citizens and not digitally supervise them, because freedom
[172.48-181.36] means accepting openness. Freedom means tolerating risks, and democracy means trusting citizens
[181.36-188.24] more than bureaucracies. If we sacrifice the free public square in the name of safety,
[188.24-195.20] we will inevitably discover that we have protected democracy to an extent that it simply
[195.20-203.52] ceases to exist altogether. Don't let it happen. Don't let the government fool you into believing
[203.52-209.84] they're looking out for your own good. Fight it. Tooth and nail. It is about your freedom.
[209.84-213.68] It is about your fundamental rights. Thank you so much. See you.