Germany gives social networks 24 hours to delete criminal content by Simon Sharwood.
From the post:
Germany has followed through on its proposal to make social networks remove slanderous hate speech and fake news or face massive fines.
The nation’s Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz (Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection) has announced that cabinet approved a plan to force social network operators to create a complaints mechanism allowing members of the public to report content that online translate-o-tronic services categorise as “insults, libel, slander, public prosecutions, crimes, and threats.”
The Bill approved by Cabinet proposes that social networks be required to establish complaints officer who is subject to local law and gets the job of removing obviously criminal content 24 hours after receiving a complaint. A seven-day deadline will apply to content that’s not immediately identifiable as infringing. Social networks will also be required to inform complainants of the outcome of their takedown requests and to provide quarterly summaries of their activities.
The ministry’s statement also suggests that those who feel aggrieved by material posted about them should be able to learn the true identity of the poster.
A Faktenpapier (PDF) on the Bill says that if the deadlines mentioned above aren’t met the social network’s designated complaints-handler could be fined up to five million Euros, while the network itself could cop a fine of 50 million Euros. An appeal to Germany’s courts will be possible.
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Sharwood’s post is a great summary of this censorship proposal but fails to identify those responsible for it.
“Germany” in the abstract sense isn’t responsible for it. And to say the “Cabinet,” leaves the average reader no more informed than saying “Germany.”
Perhaps this helps: German Cabinet / Censors:
 Peter Altmaier |
 Alexander Dobrindt |
 Sigmar Gabriel |
 Hermann Gröhe |
 Barbara Hendricks |
 Ursula von der Leyen |
 Heiko Maas |
 Thomas de Maizière |
 Angela Merkel |
 Gerd Müller |
 Andrea Nahles |
 Wolfgang Schäuble |
 Christian Schmidt |
 Manuela Schwesig |
 Johanna Wanka |
 Brigitte Zypries |
I don’t have their staff listings, yet, but that’s a start on piercing the veil that “Germany,” and “Cabinet” puts between the reader and wannabe censors.
Other veils that hide/protect censors that need piercing?