Germany will begin implementing a law that requires social media sites to act swiftly to eliminate hate speech, fake news, and illegal material. Not removing illegally illegitimate websites may face fines of up to 50 million euros (44.3 million pounds). This law requires the site to be informed of actions taken within 24 hours after the content of the offense has been committed. Social networking sites and media sites with more than 2 million members will fall under the law.
Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube will be the main laws of law, but it may also be applied to Reddit, Tumblr and the Russian social network VK. Other sites such as Vimeo and Flickr may also be included in the coverage.
Image: railpass
The law was passed at the end of June 2017 and came into effect in early October. Most social networks do not have the NetzDG law ready until the end of 2017. After passing notable news and racist incidents by prominent German social media companies, the German Justice Ministry said it will provide on its website forms that citizens can use to report violations of NetzDG or those that have not been cleared in time.
In addition to forcing social media companies to act quickly, NetzDG also asked them to create a comprehensive complaints structure so that employees can quickly report illegal content. Twitter recently updated the guidelines to follow when it comes to hate speech, and most materials will have to be removed within 24 hours, but there will be a week to deal with “complex cases.”
It is reported that Facebook recruited hundreds of employees in Germany to handle the content of the NetzDG report and to better monitor what people posted. German law has been controversial, with some arguing that this may lead to censorship or restrictions on freedom of expression.
Reference: dw.com
