Lithuania grants ethics inspector power to order removal of harmful content

Lithuania’s Journalists’ Ethics Inspector and the Radio and Television Commission of Lithuania (LRTK) will now have the authority to issue mandatory orders to remove harmful information from social media and other platforms, following amendments to the Law on Public Information.

The Seimas (parliament) approved the changes with 62 votes in favor, 11 against, and 8 abstentions. The amendments enable the two institutions to demand the removal of illegal content, including disinformation, war propaganda, and incitement to violate state sovereignty, from digital platforms.

Conservative MP Vytautas Juozapaitis, who supported the bill, argued that modern threats extend beyond traditional warfare. “We live in times when hostile states and organized groups wage war not only with rockets and tanks. Information attacks, lies, incitement of hatred, terrorist propaganda, and various manipulations have become a daily threat to our citizens and the state,” he said. Juozapaitis emphasized that the law does not create new restrictions or limit freedom of expression but provides institutions with tools to enforce existing regulations more effectively.

Opponents, including MP Ignas Vėgėlė of the Mixed Group of MPs, criticized the amendments as a form of censorship. “Today, we are adopting a censorship law. With this law, administrative institutions—the Journalists’ Ethics Inspector and the Radio and Television Commission—will have the right to independently, without a court decision, remove opinions,” Vėgėlė stated.

Conservative MP Daiva Ulbinaitė described the changes as an additional tool to combat illegal and dangerous content, noting that current regulations rely on the goodwill of platforms, which often fail to act. “This is an additional instrument for our services to stop the spread of illegal content harmful to state security and society, including disinformation,” she said.

MP Valius Ąžuolas of the Farmers and Greens Union warned that the amendments could spark public dissatisfaction, comparing the new powers to Soviet-era censorship bodies. “In reality, this is aimed at platforms and alternative media. This won’t be LRT [Lithuanian National Radio and Television] being censored—this will be the destruction of alternative media,” he argued.

The amendments were proposed by Kęstutis Vilkauskas, a Social Democrat and chair of the Seimas Culture Committee, following 2022 changes to the Digital Services Act on removing illegal content from social networks, as well as initiatives by the Journalists’ Ethics Inspector and LRTK. According to explanatory documents, Lithuania’s current legal framework does not ensure effective action against disinformation, war propaganda, or calls to undermine state sovereignty, as social media and online platforms wield significant influence over public information.

The Seimas began considering the amendments in December. Data from the Journalists’ Ethics Inspector’s office in 2025 recorded 771 complaints about content on Facebook and 25 about TikTok.