French Prime Minister Urges Social Media Blackouts to Curb Unrest
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu requested that French telecom providers prepare to suspend social media access to prevent the coordination of violent urban unrest.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has urged major telecommunications companies—Orange, SFR, Free, and Bouygues Telecom—to prepare for temporary social media blackouts to curb violent unrest. In a letter dated October 22, Lecornu requested the ability to suspend access to TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and X via DNS filtering during periods of urban violence.
The government argues that these platforms are used to coordinate looting and spread unlawful slogans. The unrest originated as a student-led movement protesting teacher shortages and deteriorating schools before expanding to include grievances over public services and the cost of living. In response, the government of President Emmanuel Macron deployed 70,000 police officers and armored vehicles, resulting in thousands of arrests.
Similar violent demonstrations have spread across Europe, with clashes and looting reported in Italy, Spain, Albania, and Belgium. While the French government seeks these restrictive measures, telecom operators have raised concerns about technical feasibility. Legal critics also point to a 2025 Council of State ruling that annulled a previous TikTok ban in New Caledonia, arguing that such blackouts are disproportionate.
