Draft law approved by the German Cabinet to restrict hate speech on Social Media

The use of social media by internet users brought along hate speech. These hate speeches attract great public reaction. It is requested by the public to take some steps in this regard. German cabinet took an important step by preparing a bill requiring major social media platforms to report hate speech to the police.

Current legislation requires social media platforms 50 million Euros fines for the failure to remove the illegal content within 24 hours.

The draft law makes additional requirements to the current legislation. The “reporting requirement” is the remarkable element of the draft law. With the implementation of this law, social media platforms will have to delete illegal content and report it to the Office of the Federal Criminal Office. The material would cover child pornography, incitement of terrorist attacks, threats of murder and any extremist propaganda.

Transparency reports that social media sites need to disclose will be an important factor in achieving the purpose of the law.

The balance between the protection of freedom of expression and speech and the harm caused by hate speech needs to be adjusted. The regulations need to be arranged to achieve this balance. Overcompensation of the platforms should be avoided. However, authorities agree that harsh interventions should be taken to prevent hate speech online.

The draft law is now pending approval by the German parliament.

Tuba Kızılkaya
Legal Intern
Güneş & Güneş Law Firm
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