Online platforms face hate speech complaints in France
Online platforms face hate speech complaints in France
(Arabnews)
THREE French anti-racism associations said they would file legal complaints against social networks Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for failing to remove “hateful” content posted on their platforms.
Two French groups say they have filed a suit against the three for allegedly failing to uphold requirements to delete content deemed racist and defending terrorism. They referred to a survey carried out between March 31 and May 10 by their members and those of a third association.
In this “first mass test of social networks,” the groups uncovered 586 instances of such content.
Only a fraction of these postings was deleted by the host organizations within a “reasonable time,” as required under a 2004 French law: Four percent on Twitter, seven percent on YouTube and 34 percent on Facebook.
“It’s a mystery whether moderating teams in social media are actually working,” said Sacha Reingewirtz, president of the UEJF. Dominique Sopo, head of SOS-Racisme, said the social media giants were hypocritical.
“Our legal step aims at getting the authorities to apply the law so that these organization submit to it in full.”
The suit has been filed under an article of the French legal code which requires a judge to issue a fast-track preliminary ruling in a complaint.
The ruling may be the first step in a full judgment in the case, which can take months or years.
Two French groups say they have filed a suit against the three for allegedly failing to uphold requirements to delete content deemed racist and defending terrorism. They referred to a survey carried out between March 31 and May 10 by their members and those of a third association.
In this “first mass test of social networks,” the groups uncovered 586 instances of such content.
Only a fraction of these postings was deleted by the host organizations within a “reasonable time,” as required under a 2004 French law: Four percent on Twitter, seven percent on YouTube and 34 percent on Facebook.
“It’s a mystery whether moderating teams in social media are actually working,” said Sacha Reingewirtz, president of the UEJF. Dominique Sopo, head of SOS-Racisme, said the social media giants were hypocritical.
“Our legal step aims at getting the authorities to apply the law so that these organization submit to it in full.”
The suit has been filed under an article of the French legal code which requires a judge to issue a fast-track preliminary ruling in a complaint.
The ruling may be the first step in a full judgment in the case, which can take months or years.
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