Germany Takes on the Social Media Giants

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Series Details 09.01.18
Publication Date 09/01/2018
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On 1 January 2018 a new law called the Network Enforcement Act ('NetzDG') came into force in Germany - it aimed to force social media sites such as Facebook, Google and Twitter to delete offensive content such as hate speech and illegal content within 24 hours of a complaint being received. If the deadlines were breached companies could be fined up to €50m.

The law proved controversial. Opposition parties across the political spectrum including the Free Democrats, Greens and Left all called for amendments for the law. Also critical of the law was the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which called it 'censorship legislation'.

In this commentary feature Judy Dempsey suggested that attempts to rein in the internet industry in democratic countries as illustrated by the new German law would show who really was in charge in western democracies.

Source Link Link to Main Source http://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/75194?lang=en
Related Links
Germany: Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV): Statutes and Ordinances: Act to Improve Enforcement of the Law in Social Net works (Network Enforcement Act), July 2017 https://www.bmjv.de/SharedDocs/Gesetzgebungsverfahren/Dokumente/NetzDG_engl.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2
The Guardian, 05.01.18: Tough new German law puts tech firms and free speech in spotlight https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/05/tough-new-german-law-puts-tech-firms-and-free-speech-in-spotlight
The Guardian, 30.06.17: Germany approves plans to fine social media firms up to €50m https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/jun/30/germany-approves-plans-to-fine-social-media-firms-up-to-50m
The Guardian, 14.03.17: Social media sites face heavy hate speech fines under German proposal https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/mar/14/social-media-hate-speech-fines-germany-heiko-maas-facebook
Blog: Verfassungsblog, 22.01.18: The German Network Enforcement Act and the Presumption in Favour of Freedom of Speech https://verfassungsblog.de/the-german-network-enforcement-act-and-the-presumption-in-favour-of-freedom-of-speech/
BBC News, 01.01.18: Germany starts enforcing hate speech law http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-42510868
Politico, 04-06.01.18: Free speech vs. censorship in Germany https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-hate-speech-netzdg-facebook-youtube-google-twitter-free-speech/
Blog: Verfassungsblog, 08.02.18: The German NetzDG: A Risk Worth Taking? https://verfassungsblog.de/the-german-netzdg-a-risk-worth-taking/
Deutsche Welle, 08.01.18: German opposition parties call to replace online hate speech law http://p.dw.com/p/2qTDK
Deutsche Welle: Tag: NetzDG http://www.dw.com/search/en?languageCode=en&origin=gN&item=NetzDG&searchNavigationId=9097
The Local.de, 05.01.18: Is a new German law encouraging social media giants to censor opinions? https://www.thelocal.de/20180105/is-a-new-german-law-encouraging-social-media-giants-to-censor-opinions

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