France’s Secretary of State for the Digital Sector Cédric O announced that Facebook will be giving to French judges the data of those suspected of hate speech.
The move by France is a first globally in an attempt to regulate hate speech.
“It is a strong signal in terms of regulation,” Sonia Cisse, a counsel at law firm Linklaters, told Reuters. “Hate speech is no longer considered part of freedom of speech, it’s now on the same level as terrorism.”
In May, France’s government said that Facebook’s ability to regulate itself was unenforceable and lacked credibility.
âSocial media companies need regulation like banks, they are systemic actors,â O said. âThe biggest social media must have internal regulation, controlled by an outside regulator.”
French President Emmanuel Macron and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg met several times before the agreement was set by both companies.
Macron’s party is considering a move to fine tech companies 4% of their worldwide revenue if steps are not take to remove hate speech on their platforms.
