Germany threatens to fine Facebook over hate speech

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Frank Jordans, Associated Press
Updated 7:10 pm, Friday, December 16, 2016



BERLIN (AP) — German officials are stepping up their criticism of Facebook, saying the social network is doing too little to stop hate speech and could face stiff fines unless it deletes illegal content faster.

In an interview published Friday, Justice Minister Heiko Maas said his ministry was checking whether it would be possible to make social networking sites legally liable for illegal posts.

"Of course in the end, we also have to think about fines, if other measures fail to work," Maas told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. "That would be a strong incentive to act quickly."

Germany has seen a sharp increase in vitriolic posts on social media in recent years amid a heated public debate over the influx of more than a million migrants since the start of 2015.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/business/technology/article/Germany-threatens-to-fine-Facebook-over-hate-10801150.php

[Lithos]

1. Excellent

Germany is going to step up where the US clearly failed.

L-

[Firebrand Gary]

2. WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO

[Ghost OF Trotsky]

3. Nothing should ever be illegal to write or look at.

All censorship, in any form, anywhere, of anything, is bad. Every human on the planet should be able to communicate or consume any information.

[duhneece]

6. Our 'religion' of free speech anywhere, anytime about anything

contributed to Germany's attempt to exterminate the Jews.
It contributed to Rwanda's slaughter.
I no longer worship at the alter of 'free speech.'
I want us to look at the consequences of our laws, just as the Republicans need to look at the consequences of their religion of 'shrink the government.'

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. What about inciting violence?

Would you be OK with someone saying you personally ought to be murdered? Or that all of your ethnic group should be killed?

[Ghost OF Trotsky]

8. Actually, yes.

It doesn't matter what someone tells you to do or if tell you to commit atrocities, or take your life, or whatever. Just because ISIS tells you to strap on a suicide vest or you are ordered to conduct a 'no knock' raid, or any number of such scenarios.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. That goes for the Rwandan calls for genocide too?

It's not a question of whether the individual who then kills should escape blame; it's whether a person who incites violence shares blame.

[Ghost OF Trotsky]

11. Respectfully (for I have long admired your posts)

Yes.


No matter how abhorrent the message anyone else promulgates, I am responsible for my actions.

I in no means pretend my personal opinion anything other than exactly that. But as a philosophical point, yes. There has never been any shortage of fucked up people promulgating horrid actions since the Epic of Gilgalmesh was hot off the presses. Each person is ultimately responsible for their actions, regardless of extrinsic input.

[resistance2016]

5. Good. People have proven time and time again they don't have the responsibility for "free speech."

I only wish Stormfront's server was in Germany so they could not only ban it, but jail the piles of puke who post there.

[Dr. Strange]

10. Well, great.

People have proven time and time again they don't have the responsibility for "free speech."

This is the justification Trump will use to squelch speech, no doubt.

[Guyechka]

12. Not sure what to think

Freedom of speech has been found to have legal limitations (causing panic and inciting violence).

You would have thought that exposing rump's lies for the past year would have convinced most people that he was not to be trusted, but clearly not everyone is capable of processing information and making sound decisions. I have to ask what would have happened if the DNC had taken "the low ground" and sued for libel or at least ranted as much about rump's lies as the repukes ranted about Hillary's.

I was trying to find a bumper sticker that read "Trump for Prison 2016". In fact, I pretty much used that as my search term. I got a single hit of a crappy looking sticker with the rump behind bars. What was interesting was that I got dozens of hits for Hillary being locked up. The point is that this became the rally cry in the lead up to the election, and the repukes bought it completely. No question about how long the partisan investigations went on. No question about how the FBI under treasonous Comey did not produce anything.

In other words, I am all for striking back against all the right wing bullshit. Sure, we can have freedom of speech when it isn't a lie intended to damage democracy.

[christx30]

13. Would this law apply to people like this?

http://imgur.com/a/oD5uS