Under a new German law, social media platforms that do not delete content deemed hateful within 24 hours will face a fine of up to 50 million euros ($57 million).
The New York Times reports new law will require sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google (which owns YouTube) to delete any content that is deemed illegal in Germany within 24 hours or face a fine.
Under German law, Holocaust denial, incitement to hatred, and anti-Semitic language are all considered illegal.
According to a translation by the New York Times, Justice Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement, “With this law, we put an end to the verbal law of the jungle on the internet and protect the freedom of expression for all. We are ensuring that everyone can express their opinion freely, without being insulted or threatened.”
He claimed, “That is not a limitation, but a prerequisite for freedom of expression.”
Under the new law, social media sites will need to publicize a report about the number of hateful incidents that were reported and how the sites addressed them. They will also reportedly need to respond to the person who requested the content deletion and tell them how they handled the matter.
A Facebook spokesman responded to the law by saying, “We believe the best solutions will be found when government, civil society and industry work together and that this law as it stands now will not improve efforts to tackle this important societal problem.”
“We feel that the lack of scrutiny and consultation do not do justice to the importance of the subject. We will continue to do everything we can to ensure safety for the people on our platform.”
Germany recently raided the homes of 36 people for “hateful” social media posts.
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