Google, Facebook and Twitter Will Delete Hate Speech within 24 Hours in Germany

Even though it’s not against the law to post hate speech on social media platforms in the U.S, such activities are definitely illegal in Germany, where people can actually be prosecuted for provoking hatred against certain population segments. Consequently, social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter and Google have agreed to delete hate speech from their platforms within 24 hours in Germany, which should encourage anti-racism groups to report these incidents more frequently. German citizens have asked Facebook to adopt a similar measure in September, but the company’s representatives did not agree to the terms at the time.

Now, as hate speech against refugees is continuing to rise, it would appear that these popular social media platforms have no choice but to take action. Just a few days ago, an outer wall of Facebook’s Hamburg office was spray painted with a “Facebook dislike” message by a group of vandals, so it’s quite clear that people were greatly upset with the company’s management. German Justice Minister Heiko Maas has stated the following:

“When the limits of free speech are trespassed, when it is about criminal expressions, sedition, incitement to carry out criminal offenses that threaten people, such content has to be deleted from the net. And we agree that as a rule this should be possible within 24 hours.”

Hopefully, this new decision will help minimize tension and conflict in the country.