This Article is From May 15, 2016

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube Face Hate Speech Complaints In France

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube Face Hate Speech Complaints In France

3D-printed Facebook and Twitter logos are seen in this picture illustration made in Zenica. (Reuters file photo)

Highlights

  • Anti-racism associations file legal complaints against 3 social networks
  • Facebook, Twitter & YouTube failed to remove hateful content, they allege
  • French law requires websites to take down racist & homophobic material
Paris: Three French anti-racism associations said on Sunday they would file legal complaints against social networks Facebook, Twitter and Google's YouTube for failing to remove "hateful" content posted on their platforms.

French law requires websites to take down racist, homophobic or anti-semitic material and tell authorities about it.

But French Jewish students union UEJF and anti-racism and anti-homophobia campaigners SOS Racisme and SOS Homophobie said the three firms had removed only a fraction of 586 examples of hateful content the anti-racism groups had counted on their platforms between the end of March and May 10.

Twitter removed only four per cent, YouTube seven per cent and Facebook 34 per cent, according to the associations.

"In light of YouTube, Twitter and Facebook's profits and how little taxes they pay, their refusal to invest in the fight against hate is unacceptable," UEJF president Sacha Reingewirtz said in a statement.

Germany got Facebook, Google and Twitter to agree in December to delete hate speech from their websites within 24 hours.
© Thomson Reuters 2016
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