Germany Requires Social Media Remove Hate Speech
Germany enforces rules that require social media to remove hate speech, false news, and illegal information.
As quoted from the BBC, Monday (1/1/2018), social media that does not immediately remove illegal uploads will be fined up to 50 million euros. The law gives 24 hours to social media managers to take the established steps after the uploads fall into that category.
Social media and media sites with more than 2 million followers will be subject to legal scrutiny.
Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube will be the main concern. However, other sites such as Reddit, Tumblr, and Russian-owned social media VK will also be watched. Likewise with Vimeo and Flickr.
The law called Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz (NetzDG) was published in late June 2017 and came into effect in early October 2017. Social media and media sites were given until late 2017 to prepare.
Demand for the presence of a social media policeman was fired after several cases of hoaxes and racist information were distributed in Germany. The German Justice Ministry said it would provide a report channel on their site for citizens wishing to report content that is unlawful or unlawful.
In addition to forcing social media to move quickly, NetzDG requires them to provide examples of comprehensive complaints so that troubled uploads can be quickly reported. Most uploads should be deleted within 24 hours, but social media is given a week to solve more complex cases.
Facebook reportedly has recruited hundreds of staff in Germany specifically to take care of NetzDG and tighten monitoring of uploaded material.
However, some people consider the law controversial and can trigger more stringent censorship or even impede freedom of speech.
NetzDG is the most extreme example of government policy related to social media. In Britain, politicians have expressed harsh criticism of social media because of the policies of its managers against hate speech and offensive content.
The European Commission has also released a guide for social media to more quickly find hate content and remove it.