Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft have officially partnered with the European Commission in order to crack down on free speech by banning “alternative media” from their platforms. The European Commission announced their partnership with Facebook and other social media giants on Tuesday, saying they have ordered these internet giants to completely eliminate “hate speech” and “counter-narratives” from the internet. Members of the European Parliament have criticised the new partnership as being Orwellian in nature, warning that the move will effectively see alternative media die online. The EU released its Big Brother-style “code of conduct” on Tuesday, which “includes a series of commitments to combat the spread of illegal hate speech online in Europe … together with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft,” who have agreed to comply. Breitbart.com reports: The commitments include “educat[ing] and rais[ing] awareness with their users” and building a “network” of “trusted reporters” to flag unwanted content. Facebook and Twitter are to provide “regular training to their staff on current societal developments” and work more closely with national governments and “their law enforcement agencies” to remove content the EU does not favor. Most alarmingly, however, the platforms have also promised to engage in the active promotion of views and organisations the EU does favour, [...]