German Minister Seeks Jail Time, Fines In Criminal Crackdown Against Facebook “Fake News”
With Facebook having announced last week the launch of measure to flag and eliminate fake news from appearing on its website, Germany does not think the process is fast enough, and according to Germany’s Justice Minister Heiko Maas, German judges and state prosecutors need to crack down straight away on fake news disseminated through social media platforms such as Facebook. Interviewed by Bild am Sontag, Maas, a Social Democrat in conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition, has repeatedly warned the U.S. technology company to respect laws against defamation in Germany that are more rigid than in the United States and added that the newspaper the principle of free speech does not protect against slander.
Germany’s Justice Minister Heiko Maas
“Defamation and malicious gossip are not covered under freedom of speech,” Maas said cited by Reuters, just days after other top government officials called for legislation to tackle “hate speech” and fake news on Facebook and other social media platforms. He added that the government is keeping close tabs on how efficiently Facebook removes illegal content. If removal rates fail to grow, “urgent legal consequences” could follow.
Urging a criminal crackdown, the Justice Minister said “authorities must prosecute [hate speech], even on the internet,” noting that offenders could face up to five years in jail. “Anyone who tries to manipulate the political discussion with lies needs to be aware (of the consequences).”
“We expect significant improvements in Facebook’s removal practice. The standard for removals must be German law,” Maas told Sueddeutsche Zeitung on Friday.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
