Germany Would Fine Social Media Outlets If They Don't Police Hate Speech

A proposed piece of legislation in Germany would fine online platforms like Facebook and Twitter that fail to adequately screen content.

The German Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection stated that social media platforms have failed to do enough to take criminal content off their sites. Heiko Maas added that free expression ends where criminal law begins. The proposed law could fine a company for tens of millions of dollars, with a ceiling of $53 million.

Under the law, social media platforms will have to regulate content that violations German law, including fake news and slanderous material. Failure to identify and delete such content would incur a steep fine.