The French government this week held meetings with social media platforms and online marketplaces over the riots that broke out during the October 17, 2026 protests. Digital Affairs Minister Anne Le Hénanff brought together six technology companies, including Meta and TikTok. Authorities want platforms to remove calls for arson, looting and violating the curfew.
According to Cybernews, the video conference took place on Tuesday, October 20. The demands include removing livestreams from riot sites, posts containing violence, calls for unlawful actions, and AI-generated fakes. Participants said that disabling social networks was not discussed at the meeting. The idea was raised publicly by Gabriel Attal, who said that during riots it should be possible to block access to individual platforms selectively and temporarily.
A separate discussion focused on the resale of stolen goods. According to the industry outlet LSA, Trade Minister Serge Papin and Le Hénanff gathered Vinted, Amazon, eBay, Leboncoin, Meta and TikTok, as well as industry federations, on October 19. The issue arose from listings offering items stolen during the looting. Following the meeting, the government announced four commitments from the platforms. These include stronger cooperation with authorities in identifying and handing over illegal content.
Sources put the scale of the riots at about 2,000 arrests and 3,000 fires, with curfews in several cities. The figures come from French authorities, and we have no independent verification.
Unconfirmed: other accounts of the meeting mention a 48-hour reporting deadline for platforms and damages of up to €1.2 billion. We found no confirmation of these figures, so they are not included in this text. There is also a discrepancy in dates: some sources date the meeting with Meta and TikTok to October 19, others to October 20. These may have been two separate meetings.
Two things are worth watching: whether the platforms' commitments are put in writing with deadlines, and whether the topic continues in the form of demands for blocking measures. Calls for a new protest on Saturday, October 24 are circulating on social media. If it takes place, the moderation rules will be tested in practice.
