2018 is the year when Europe has lost the freedom of speech: In Germany, the historical censorship of social networks moves.

If Germany censors quotes from ambassadors and politicians, then it can censor virtually everything

The law has provoked controversies in the country, as some believe could lead to unintentional censorship and restrict freedom of speech. In Germany, the New Year begins to implement a law that urges social media to quickly remove hate speech, false news and other illegal content, the BBC reported on Monday.

Social networks that do not remove "obviously illegal" user posts could be punished with as much as 50 million euros. Social networks must respond within 24 hours. The law stipulates that networks must respond within 24 hours after being warned of the publication of illegal content.

The law applies to social networks and media portals with more than two million users. They focus primarily on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, but they will probably also be affected by Reddit, Tumblr and the Russian social network VK. Vimeo and Flickr could be included. The law (NetzDG) was adopted at the end of June 2017, and came into force at the beginning of October. Social networks got the deadline by the end of 2017 to prepare for its implementation.

The tight control of social media was introduced after several major cases of the spread of false news and racist material through German branches of popular social media. The German Ministry of Justice has announced that it will publish on its website a form that citizens can report content that is not permitted by law or which has not been removed on time.

The law requires social media to respond quickly and introduce a comprehensive complaint structure so that disputed posts can be quickly reported to their employees. Most materials will need to be removed within 24 hours, and in "complex cases" within a week.

Facebook has hired hundreds of people in Germany to process content reports

Facebook has hired hundreds of people in Germany to process content reports that are inconsistent with the law and better monitor user posts. The law has provoked controversies in the country, as some believe could lead to unintentional censorship and restrict freedom of speech.

German law is the most extreme example of the efforts of governments and regulators to curb social media in terms of hate speech. The European Commission has also published guidelines calling for social media to quickly remove inappropriate publications.

• 2 Jan, 2018
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