The Christian prayer app “Hallow”, which reached number one on Apple’s App Store in 2024, is now struggling to operate in the EU. CEO Alex Jones has expressed concern that strict regulations are effectively shutting down religious apps, raising concerns about digital religious freedom.
Newsroom (01/30/2025 13:40, Gaudium Press) The EU Digital Services Act (DSA), which took effect last February, has been hailed as a landmark law designed to bring order to the digital world. Yet, beneath the surface of supposedly protecting democracy, lies a framework fraught with overreach, ambiguity, and the erosion of fundamental freedoms.
The EU Commission claims that the Digital Services Act is needed to “protect democracy” by tackling so-called “misinformation”, “disinformation” and “hate speech” online. It promises to create a safer online space by holding digital platforms—particularly “Very Large Online Platforms” (VLOPs) such as Google, Amazon, Meta and X—accountable for addressing these terms.
However, its implementation raises grave concerns. By mandating the removal of broadly defined “harmful” content, this legislation sets the stage for widespread censorship, curtailing lawful and truthful speech under the guise of compliance and safety. The result will be a sanitized and tightly controlled internet where the free exchange of ideas is stifled.
The Christian prayer and meditation app Hallow has helped thousands of Christians integrate prayer into their daily lives. In February 2024, Hallow made history by becoming the first religious app to reach the number one spot on Apple’s App Store, and by August 2024, over 600 million prayers had been prayed with the app.
However, Hallow’s work in Europe is under serious threat. Just as they were preparing to produce content in Polish, French, Italian and German, Alex Jones, co-founder and CEO of Hallow, announced that “the EU is shutting us down through over-regulation, apparently targeting any religious app, making it virtually impossible for us to operate in the EU”.
Although the exact reasons for the ban are not yet public, this announcement reveals a growing concern that recent European legislation could seriously impact religious freedom in the EU’s online space. On the one hand, Europe’s strict data protection law imposes severe restrictions on the processing of data relating to religious beliefs; on the other hand, the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), by requiring the removal of broadly defined “harmful” and “hateful” content from online platforms, is raising concerns among human rights organisations that it allows for the censorship of certain beliefs, which dissent from mainstream views.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from persecution.org, adfinternational.org, X (Alex Jones)
Related Images:
