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By Grant M. Deltz
A bill reportedly approved by German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet will fine social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook up to 50 million euros for failing to promptly remove hate speech and fake news from their websites.
“Social-network providers are responsible when their platforms are misused to propagate hate crimes and fake news,” Justice Minister Heiko Maas said in an emailed statement. The goal is to make social networks enforce existing German laws on illegal content “quickly and in full.”
The approval of Merkel will likely carry weight when Germany’s Parliament decides whether to approve the bill or not.
Germany is hoping to avoid the influence of fake news on their upcoming elections.
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