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Another Fight Against Free Speech? Gawkowski on Shutting Down X

“We have mechanisms in Poland that could be used to ensure that the X platform no longer operates,” said Krzysztof Gawkowski, Poland’s Minister of Digital Affairs in Donald Tusk’s government, during an interview on RMF FM. This is not the first time this politician has made such a statement.

Grok vs. Politicians
Yesterday, many users of the platform X.com were in for quite a surprise.

Grok, the chatbot often asked about various topics by internet users, began responding in a tone previously uncharacteristic for it. It didn’t shy away from harsh criticism, profanity, and insults aimed at many politicians on the Polish political scene.

Is Gawkowski Threatening?
Krzysztof Gawkowski, the Minister of Digital Affairs, was asked about the issue this morning on RMF FM.

“I read what was happening with disgust and feel like we’re entering a new, more dangerous phase of hate speech, one driven by algorithms. Turning a blind eye to this, ignoring it, or laughing it off—as I saw some politicians do—is a mistake that could cost someone dearly in the future,” he said.

And his comments didn’t stop there.

“We need to be aware that the current laws in Europe and in Poland may not be sufficient to detect the mistakes of algorithms whose workings we don’t fully understand. If we report violations—and we will—but platforms fail to comply, we need to have not only legal tools but also the authority to shut them down,” continued the left-wing politician.

Following these remarks, Gawkowski was asked directly about the possibility of shutting down X in Poland. His answer was unsurprising.

“In the future, we must consider scenarios in which, if platforms refuse to follow guidelines meant to counter hate speech, and if artificial intelligence begins to take precedence over human oversight and fuels hatred, then we must seriously consider the possibility of shutting down X.”

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