New German law to fine social networks for hate speech

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The German parliament passed a law on Friday that would impose fines of up to 50 million euros (56 million US dollars) on social media platforms if they fail to remove hate speech and fake news quickly.

The law gives social media 24 hours to remove or block any obviously illegal content. If a case is more complicated, the platform will be given seven days to deal with it, with an obligation to report back to the person who filed the complaint about how they handled the case.

"This law is the logical next step for effectively tackling hate speech since all voluntary agreements with the platform providers have been virtually unsuccessful," the Central Council of Jews in Germany said in a statement, greeting the new legislation.

German Justice Minister Heiko Maas stressed the law was long overdue and insisted that a measure to "end the internet law of the jungle" would not infringe freedom of speech.

Maas proposed the law in March in a bid to crack down on hate speech and defamatory fake news being spread on social media.

Facebook however criticized the law, calling it "inappropriate", and social media companies and other organizations have raised concerns it could damage free speech.

(With inputs from Reuters)