Ctrl-Alt-Speech Think Globally, Stack Locally
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Jan 29, 2026 Konstantinos Komaitis, Senior Resident Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s DFRLab, studies internet governance and digital sovereignty. He discusses TikTok’s US ownership shift and user panics. They examine alternatives to central platforms, Europe’s push for digital sovereignty, Iran’s internet blackout and safety moves, and risks around age bans and platform moderation.
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New Ownership, Old Problems
- TikTok’s U.S. takeover felt like déjà vu because Oracle already hosted and reviewed content since 2020.
- Public panic over censorship and data changes mostly revived older concerns rather than proving new harms.
Free Speech Slogans Fall Short
- New social apps like Upscrolled promise “free speech” but often repeat naive founder mistakes.
- Building trust requires clear communication and realistic moderation, not slogans alone.
Communicate During Ownership Changes
- Communicate transparently with users when ownership or policies change to rebuild trust.
- Explain why changes are necessary and how user data and moderation will be handled.