Government, ICT - Germany To Combat Far-Right Extremism
Germany's government is announcing new measures to combat online hate speech and far right attacks, although not everyone is convinced the measures go far enough.
The need is clear: Back in June, a 45-year old neo-nazi named Stephan Ernst gunned down pro-refugee regional official Walter Lubcke at his home in central Germany. Just three weeks ago, a heavily armed man killed two people after trying and failing to carry out a mass shooting in the local synagogue in the eastern city of Halle. Investigators found that suspect, identified as 27-year-old Stephan B., had often visited websites which circulated anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
The new laws would require online service providers such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter to report racist and anti-Semitic activity to German authorities, and to include the IP Address of the individual engaging in it. Gun laws will be tightened, and existing prevention programs that aim to tackle right-wing extremism will get more funding and federal support.
Konstantin von Notz from Germany's Green Party said the government hasn't been tough enough on social networks that fail to delete and report extremist content; penalties for this should be in the "high tens and hundreds of millions".
"Otherwise you won't be able to hold these companies to account," von Notz said. "This is the only lever you can use to deal with corporations that follow an economic, stock company logic."