Germany proposes fines for not tackling hate speech

Social media groups could face huge fines.


The German government has drafted a law that could see massive fines being demanded from companies that fail to remove hate speech or fake news within a week. Content that clearly and openly flouts German law must be removed within 24 hours.

Germany has witnessed an increase in xenophobic hate speech and the government has repeatedly warned online companies to take more responsibility for policing content published on their sites.

The draft law, which requires approval from parliament, has proposed that fines of up to 5Million euros could be levied.

Source: The Local Germany; EU Observer.