EU MEPs criticize proposed Frontex social media surveillance powers

European Parliament members and civil society organizations have raised concerns regarding a proposal by the European Commission to grant Frontex, the EU border agency, a mandate to monitor social media. The proposed reorganization aims to allow the agency to collect information to prevent and discourage illegal border crossings.

Italian MEP Brando Benifej warned that while removing content related to human smuggling is legitimate, a broad mandate for social media surveillance places internet speech under the control of a border service. The proposal includes establishing an internal structure within Frontex to monitor platforms and report content deemed to facilitate illegal entry into the EU.

The reform comes as the Commission seeks to double Frontex's budget for the 2028-2034 period and expand its deportation powers. Critics note that similar surveillance tenders were canceled in 2019 due to privacy concerns, and emphasize that the EU already possesses mechanisms for information exchange via the Digital Services Act (DSA).