In this photo illustration, a phone screen displays a photo of Elon Musk with the Twitter logo shown in the background, on October 4, 2022, in Washington, DC. - Elon Musk has offered to push through with his buyout of Twitter at the original agreed price, reports said Tuesday, prompting a surge in the social network's share price that triggered a suspension of trading.
Twitter's free speech idealogy, advocated by Elon Musk, is at odds with the views of German authorities, which may penalize the company for neglecting to remove unlawful content.
Germany vs. Twitter
In a report by PCMag, the Federal Office of Justice in Germany said on Tuesday, April 4, that it has initiated "fine proceedings" against Twitter for alleged violations of the nation's Network Enforcement Act.
According to the legislation, social media platforms have 24 hours to delete obviously unlawful material after it has been notified and a further seven days to remove other, less apparent lawbreaker postings.
Hate speech, defamation, and threats to an individual's safety all fall under the category of prohibited material.
The Federal Office of Justice believes that, for the last four months, Twitter, under Musk's leadership, has failed to address a surge of unlawful content, calling the issue "systemic" and justifying a hefty punishment.
The Federal Office of Justice claims that it has received several reports of information published on Twitter that it deems unlawful but that, despite user complaints, was not removed or disabled by the provider within the legally necessary times. The department also states vaguely that all contents include comparable, unjustifiable, defamatory statements of opinion, all of which are intended against the same individual.
The German government has opened the floor for Twitter's response as part of the fine process. Twitter may be punished up to €50 million ($54.7 million) if it is found to be in violation of the country's Network Enforcement Act.
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Hate Speech
Independent researchers have noted an increase in the amount of hate speech directed against Black and homosexual people on Twitter since Musk took over the network in late October 2022, prompting this investigation. The European Union (EU) has threatened Twitter with billion-dollar penalties if it does not adequately protect its platform from risks like misinformation.
Twitter is refusing requests for comment.
Twitter argued last month that the volume of hate speech on the platform has reduced. And yet, Musk has assured us that Twitter would act lawfully in every jurisdiction in which it has a presence. So far, under his leadership, the corporation has laid off thousands of workers, making it more difficult for the social media platform to function.
Twitter revealed in 2012 that it had created a system to remove messages violating certain nations' censorship laws.
Pro-Nazi materials are prohibited in countries like Germany and France. Although such views are certainly unacceptable, they are nonetheless protected under the First Amendment in the US.
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