Hungarian Justice Minister Slams Tech Giants For 'Switching Off' Certain Users

  • 14 Jan 2021 7:34 AM
  • Hungary Matters
Hungarian Justice Minister Slams Tech Giants For 'Switching Off' Certain Users
Judit Varga, the justice minister, has criticised global tech giants for “switching off” certain users. “We can all be turned off,” she said in an English-language post on Facebook.

“So far, only freedom of opinion and speech has been restricted by global tech companies, but the ideological campaign seen in America proves that people can even be turned off from the online space.

From where they live their daily lives, they manage their work and businesses, store their memories and keep in touch with their friends, acquaintances, loved ones,” Varga said.

She said it “may come as a surprise” that several European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European People’s Party group leader Manfred Weber, had “raised their voices” against the move by various tech companies that she insisted were allied to “a globalist liberal ideology”.

Those leaders “have probably figured out that all of this can even happen to them and even they can be deleted if they don’t behave as expected,” Varga said.

The justice minister said it was worth considering whether “to base our lives on social media”. Meanwhile, work to create the framework for online legal certainty and transparency was continuing, she said.

“Let’s tell our children, friends, loved ones that we need to live our real lives and even rebuild them instead of the virtual ones. Because in our real life, we can always make our own decisions,” Varga said.

Related links

Gov't Spokesman: 'Twitter Blocked 200 Of My Followers'

Hungarian Justice Minister Shares Concern About Twitter Locking Trump Account

  • How does this content make you feel?

XpatLoop Media Partner

Hungary Matters

Launched in January 2014, this newsletter published on week days covers 'everything you need to know about what’s going on in Hungary and beyond', according to its publisher the state media agency MTI.

Explore More Reports

  • Magyar Pledges First Official Visit to Warsaw to Rebuild Ties

    Magyar Pledges First Official Visit to Warsaw to Rebuild Ties

    • 14 Apr 2026 1:06 PM

    Peter Magyar said on Monday that as prime minister, his first foreign visit would be to the Polish capital. At an international press conference in Budapest, he emphasised his commitment to rebuilding Hungarian-Polish relations.

  • New Szijjártó–Lavrov Leaks Fuel Tensions Days Ahead of Hungary’s Election

    New Szijjártó–Lavrov Leaks Fuel Tensions Days Ahead of Hungary’s Election

    • 9 Apr 2026 6:58 AM

    A consortium of European outlets—including VSquare, FRONTSTORY, Delfi Estonia, The Insider, and the Investigative Center of Ján Kuciak (ICJK)—has published another batch of leaked phone calls between Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

  • Growing Number of Ukrainian Spies Exposed in Hungary, Claims Gov't

    Growing Number of Ukrainian Spies Exposed in Hungary, Claims Gov't

    • 27 Mar 2026 8:17 AM

    The number of Ukrainian spies exposed in Hungary is growing, the minister heading the Prime Minister's Office told a regular press conference on Thursday. "The first was Szabolcs Panyi, who has been spying on his own country in cooperation with a foreign state, and the IT experts working for the Tisza Party," Gergely Gulyas said.