European courts can force Facebook and other platforms to find and destroy such content once they’ve been alerted, the EU judges said in a binding decision.
Facebook Inc. can be forced to remove posts anywhere in the world to protect European Union users from hateful content, the bloc’s highest court ruled in a case that widens a chasm with the U.S. on freedom of speech and privacy.
The EU has taken a tougher stance on citizens’ online rights than elsewhere in the world. In 2014, the EU’s top court gave people a so-called right to be forgotten, allowing them to ask Google to remove European links to websites that contain out-of-date or false information that could unfairly harm a person’s reputation.
The judgment “undermines the long-standing principle that one country does not have the right to impose its laws on speech on another country,” Facebook said in an emailed statement. “It also opens the door to obligations being imposed on internet companies to proactively monitor content and then interpret if it is ‘equivalent’ to content that has been found to be illegal.
Despite the platforms’ efforts, EU officials have been mulling new bloc-wide rules, building on existing legislation in Germany, that could hit big tech firms with possible fines if they fail to remove illegal hate speech quickly enough. The discussions fit into broader plans by the EU to overhaul liability rules for platforms.
Deutschland Neuesten Nachrichten, Deutschland Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
EU courts can order Facebook to remove illegal comments worldwide: European top courtCourts in the European Union can order Facebook to remove worldwide comments by ...
Weiterlesen »
European markets seen mixed; US tariffs on EU goods fuel growth concernsEuropean stocks are set to open mixed Thursday morning after the U.S. announced it would impose tariffs on exports from the European Union.
Weiterlesen »
Countries Can Force Facebook To Remove Posts, EU Court RulesA precedent has been set for worldwide content policing on social media.
Weiterlesen »
Facebook can be forced to remove content worldwide after landmark EU court rulingFacebook can be ordered to police and remove illegal content worldwide, Europe&...
Weiterlesen »
EU Courts Can Order Facebook to Remove Illegal Comments WorldwideBut Facebook is 'not liable for stored information if it has no knowledge of its illegal nature or if it acts expeditiously to remove or to disable access to that information,' the European Court of Justice says.
Weiterlesen »