Facebook, YouTube May Be Forced to Remove Hate Speech Under EU Plans
In a bid to clamp down on hate speech across Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, the European Union (EU) has moved forward with plans to force social media companies to take measures to block videos showing toxic content. This proposal is the first to tackle the issue at the EU level.
Tuesday's agreement came a day after a suicide bomber killed at least 22 people at a concert in Manchester, England. The European Parliament will still need to agree with the plan. If approved, social media companies will have to take measures like establishing mechanisms for users to flag hate speech, incitement to hatred and content justifying terrorism on their platforms.
"We need to take into account new ways of watching videos, and find the right balance to encourage innovative services, promote European films, protect children and tackle hate speech in a better way," said Andrus Ansip, EU Commission vice-president for the digital single market.
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However, the proposal will not extend to live streaming via platforms like Facebook Live, but it will only be limited to videos stored on the platform. The plan will likely be met with opposition from internet campaigners who warn that excessive crackdown could endanger freedom of speech.
Also included in the proposal is the imposition of a 30 percent quota on European films and TV shows to be shown on video streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Additionally, member states will be able to require video-sharing platforms to contribute financially to the production of European works.
EU lawmakers have, in the past, pushed for social media companies to do more to tackle hateful content on their platforms. The call was made after four of the biggest internet companies failed to live up to the voluntary code of conduct they signed in May 2016 committing to remove harmful content within 24 hours.
