Digital technologies are fundamentally changing the functioning of Czech democracy. Social networks have become a key space for political debate and citizen mobilization, but at the same time, they bring risks in the form of disinformation, manipulation, and social polarization. The Czech Republic therefore faces the challenge of how to protect freedom of expression while also ensuring democracy’s resilience against digital threats.

Key Takeaways:

• Freedom of expression: Strongly protected by the Constitution and the Charter, but crisis interventions (e.g., the blocking of pro-Russian websites in 2022) revealed a lack of clear legal framework.
• European regulations: The Digital Services Act (DSA) and GDPR impose obligations on platforms, but Czech institutions lack sufficient capacity for full implementation.
• Algorithms and polarization: Content personalization locks citizens into information bubble, limiting plurality of opinions and increasing social tensions.
• Political campaigns: Social networks have become the main tool of election campaigns, but there is no transparent oversight of online advertising financing.
• Disinformation and trust: Coordinated campaigns undermine trust in institutions and media. Media literacy of the Czech population remains low.

Policy paper – Dominika Chrachalová

The analysis is in PDF under the link below.