European Council has approved a set
of proposals that would require companies
such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTubeuto
block videos containing hate speech and
incitements to terrorism. The proposals,
which were approved by EU ministers
Tuesday, will still need to be passed by the
European Parliament before becoming law,
as Reuters reports.
If approved, the regulations would be the
first at the EU level to hold social media
companies accountable for hate speech
published on their platforms. European
lawmakers have called on tech companies
to do more to curb the spread of hate
speech and terrorist propaganda, though
there are concerns that aggressive
legislation could curtail free speech.
Under the proposal, social media services
would be required to implement
mechanisms to block videos that promote
terrorism, incite hatred, or contain hate
speech. Citing an EU diplomat, Reuters
reports that the regulations would not
apply to live video platforms, such as
Facebook Live.
The proposals also call for on-demand
services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime
to devote at least 30 percent of their
libraries to European films and TV shows.
The European Commission had previously
proposed a 20 percent quota for European
content. Services such as Netflix could also
be required to contribute to the production
of films and TV shows in EU member
states.
“It is essential to have one common set of
audiovisual rules across the EU and avoid
the complication of different national
laws,” Andrus Ansip, vice president of the
European Commission’s Digital Single
Market initiative, said in a statement
Tuesday. “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.”
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Microsoft
signed on last year to a voluntary “code of
conduct” in Europe, under which the
companies agreed to review and remove
content flagged as hateful within 24 hours.
But a study commissioned by the
Commission in December 2016 found that
the tech companies have largely failed to
comply with the agreement.
Lawmakers in Germany are considering far
more aggressive legislation that would
impose fines of up to €50 million ($56
million) on social media companies that
fail to swiftly remove hate speech or other
illegal content.
In his press statement, Ansip said
negotiators from the European Parliament,
Council and Commission will meet to
discuss the proposed rules “in the coming
weeks.”
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