With Huge Fines, German Law Pushes Social Networks To Delete Abusive Posts
Social media companies could be penalized by as much as $58.3 million if they don't remove a malicious post from their platforms soon after it is reported — in some cases within 24 hours.
Like the United States, Germany is grappling with fake news and hate speech and what to do about it. For decades, it has banned incitement, defamation, and phrases and symbols from the Nazi era.
But the lines have been a lot murkier when the offenses in question are on the Internet.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition tried to address the discrepancy this year with a controversial "Network Enforcement Law," which the German parliament passed on June 30, and which quietly went into effect on Oct. 1.
Under the measure â touted
