German Lawmakers Want to Fine Social Media Sites for Ignoring Hate Speech 

 

Most social media sites have clear policies prohibiting hate speech, but the sites' moderators don’t always follow through on those words. According to a study conducted by Jugendschutz.net, Facebook takes down just 39 percent of the unlawful posts that get reported to the company, while Twitter removes roughly 1 percent. In light of these numbers, the German Justice Ministry introduced legislation that would make leaving criminal content online a crime. The draft law aims to fine web companies €50 million ($53.2 million) for failing to eradicate threats, hate speech, and libelous fake news from their sites, The Associated Press reports.

Social media companies are often criticized for what they do and do not allow on their pages. In February, Twitter responded to these concerns by implementing new measures that make it easier for users to mute abusive content and make it harder for banned users to create new acｃounts. But as the new research out of Germany shows, such changes may not be enough. 

If the law is passed by parliament, websites will be obligated to set up a way for users to report illegal material at all hours of the day. Each company must also hire a person to process the complaints if their employer fails to uphold the new standards, they could be hit with a €5 million ($5.3 million) fine personally. 

Timeliness is also part of the proposal. The report shows that a third of violations on Facebook were taken down within 24 hours, while zero percent of flagged content on Twitter was removed in that window. Under the new rules, social media posts that break the law would need to be ｄeleted in seven days or less. 

In addition to ridding the German internet of violent and hateful speech, the law could also help curb fake news. But it would only apply to content that qualifies as defamation stories like "Britain Threatens to Invade Switzerland Over Toblerone Shape Row" would be in the clear. 

Article Source: http://mentalfloss.com/article/93255/german-lawmakers-want-fine-social-media-sites-ignoring-hate-speech
Image Source: http://images.mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_640x430/public/istock-515270220_0.jpg 

VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Unlawful (adj.) ~ not conforming to, permitted by, or recognized by law or rules
2. Eradicate (v.) ~ destroy completely put an end to
3. Mute (v.) ~ to deaden or muffle the sound of
4. Uphold (v.) ~ confirm or support (something that has been questioned)
5. Flagged (internet slang) ~ banned
6. Curb (v.) ~ restrain or keep in check
7. Rid (v.) ~ make someone or something free of (a troublesome or unwanted person or thing)
8. Defamation (n.) ~ the action of damaging the good reputation of someone slander or libel 

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. Do you think that social networking sites are responsible for the opinions and information posted by the users? Explain your answer.
2. Have you ever read any offensive posts or comments on facebook or twitter? What was it about? What did you do about it?
3. Do you think people have the right to write about their opinions on social network? Discuss your opinion.