Germany to tighten screws on online hate speech
With the danger growing from far-right extremists and torrents of threats against politicians, Germany plans to toughen online speech laws and tighten the screws on social networks. One headline measure in the bill will step up the pressure on social networking firms such as Facebook and Twitter to quickly remove the offending content. In future, the Silicon Valley giants will also have to report certain types of illegal posts to the federal police, who will be able to pass on actionable data to prosecutors. Neo-Nazi propaganda or plans to commit a terrorist attack, or other crimes would be covered under such rules. Social media platforms that refuse to cooperate will face fines of up to 50 million euros. Berlin also wants to toughen potential sentences.
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