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  1. #1
    Banned Tennis's Avatar
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    Thumbs up Online hate speech may soon incur a hefty bill in Germany

    German lawmakers are poised to pass a bill designed to enforce the country's existing limits on free speech — including the long-standing ban on Holocaust denial — in social networks. Critics including tech giants and human rights campaigners say the legislation could have drastic consequences for free speech online.

    The proposed measure would fine social networking sites up to 50 million euros ($56 million) if they fail to swiftly remove illegal content, including defamatory "fake news."

    It's scheduled for a vote in parliament Friday, the last session before summer recess and September's national election, and is widely expected to pass.

    The U.N.'s independent expert on freedom of speech, David Kaye, warned the German government earlier this month that the criteria for removing material were "vague and ambiguous," adding that the prospect of hefty fines could prompt social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to delete questionable content without waiting for a court to rule it's unlawful.

    "Such precautionary censorship would interfere with the right to seek, receive and impart information of all kinds on the internet," he said.

    The bill is the brainchild of Germany's justice minister, Heiko Maas, a member of the center-left Social Democratic Party that is the junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government. He accuses social networks of failing to prevent their sites from being used to spread inflammatory views and false information long illegal in Germany.

    After World War II, the country criminalized Holocaust denial and any glorification of its Nazi past, citing the genocidal results such ideas produced as proof of the need to ban them from public debate.

    "Freedom of opinion ends where criminal law begins," Maas said recently. "Calls to commit murder, threats, insults, incitement to hatred or the Auschwitz-lie (that Nazi death camps didn't exist) aren't expressions of freedom of opinion but attacks on the freedom of opinion of others."

    The bill has been spurred by a rise in anti-migrant vitriol that has grown with the arrival of more than 1 million refugees from mostly Muslim countries in the past two years.

    Maas blames unbridled social media for stoking tensions that have spilled into real-life violence such as arson attacks on asylum-seeker homes and attempts to kill pro-migrant politicians.

    Right-wing websites and social media users have reacted angrily at the bill, accusing the government of trying to silence dissent. Their worst fears appeared to come true when a prominent anti-Muslim commentator, Kolja Bonke, was permanently banned from Twitter earlier this year.

    The reason for his ban is still unclear — Twitter refuses to publicly discuss individual cases — but those who hold similar opinions worry they could be next.

    "I think (Bonke's suspension) was a severe blow to countless critics of Islam and the government, including me," said one female Twitter user from western Germany who runs the account @anna—IIna. Declining to provide her real name for fear of being targeted by political opponents, she described Twitter as a place for getting unfiltered, real-time information about crimes committed by immigrants — an issue she claims mainstream media suppress.

    Michael Wolfskeil, who runs the influential Twitter account @onlinemagazin that posts thousands of videos and photos with anti-immigrant content each month, said he was given two days' notice before being suspended recently.

    The 53-year-old German army veteran said the exact reason for his temporary ban, which has now been lifted, was unclear and described Twitter's policies as "very, very murky" — a claim the company disputes.

    Unlike others who have moved to more obscure social media sites, Wolfskeil said he has no plans to stop venting online. "Twitter is the most comfortable place for doing that," he said.

    Opposition to the bill, including from constitutional scholars, prompted several last-minute changes last week, but the core elements remain:

    — All social media networks with more than 2 million users have to create a channel to process complaints about potentially illegal content.

    — Content illegal in Germany has to be removed within seven days — or 24 hours in clear-cut cases such as Holocaust denial.

    — Companies can delegate the review process to an independent third party overseen by the Justice Ministry— a concession to critics who warned against putting censorship in the hands of private companies.

    — Social networks have to publish a report every six months detailing how many complaints they received and how they dealt with them.


    — Companies that persistently fail to respond adequately to complaints, such as by taking too long to delete illegal content, face fines of up to 50 million euros. Each company also has to designate a person responsible for the complaints procedure who is personally liable for fines of up to 5 million euros.

    — Social networks must reveal the identities of users accused of defamation or breaching other people's right to privacy.

    Twitter and Facebook insist they are trying to address the problem of illegal content and hate speech, conscious of the fact that Germany's justice minister wants to take regulation to the European level as a next step.

    Five years ago Germany became the first country where Twitter tested a feature that blocks individual posts or whole accounts due to potentially illegal content. The phrase "account has been withheld in: Germany" is now commonly seen by users there, including for tweets by prominent figures such as the Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders.

    More recently, Twitter has created a system of "trusted flaggers" whose complaints receive special attention because they are deemed particularly trustworthy.

    The company has also started testing algorithms to identify accounts set up for the sole purpose of abusing other users. It plans to refine the software so that it can automatically suspend users for limited periods of time if they breach its community standards, though presently such suspensions still require human approval.

    Facebook is hiring an additional 3,000 people worldwide — on top of 4,500 existing staff — to review objectionable material. It has also designated refugees a "protected group," meaning that posts directed specifically against that category of people is deemed hate speech.

    "We have been working hard on this problem and have made substantial progress in removing illegal content," Facebook said in a statement. "We believe the best solutions will be found when government, civil society and industry work together to tackle this important societal problem."

    The company has faced a backlash elsewhere for perceived over-zealous removal of content, such as in the case of AP photographer Nick Ut's iconic "Napalm girl" photo taken during the Vietnam War of a naked girl fleeing an attack.

    If passed with the government's large Parliamentary majority, the law is likely to be challenged in courts at the national and European level. Free speech groups argue that political debate in Germany will suffer if companies are forced to police every user's comments.

    Users such as @anna—IIna say they won't back down in the online battle for ideas if the law is passed.

    "If my account is blocked I'll be sad but then I'll create a new one and start over," she said
    .
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/...rmany-48345483

    Good stuff.
    We have no room for hate speech. I'm glad Germany is taking action. Hopefully other countries follow suit.

  2. #2
    The Unstoppable Force PC2's Avatar
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    No kidding, Germany detests free expression. Never having your feelings hurt or thoughts challenged is more important to Germany than ideas like the Socratic method.
    Last edited by PC2; 2017-06-30 at 02:14 AM.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by PrimaryColor View Post
    No kidding, Germany detests free expression.
    From Nazis, racists, white supremacists and other hate groups, yes.

    I can't imagine why they'd feel that way lol.
    Quote Originally Posted by Tojara View Post
    Look Batman really isn't an accurate source by any means
    Quote Originally Posted by Hooked View Post
    It is a fact, not just something I made up.

  4. #4
    Bring out the "but muh freedumz to spread hate speech!!"-brigade!

    People seemingly need rules in place making them realize that maybe, MAYBE, they shouldn't say stuff they'd never say face to face just because they're "sitting safe" in front of a computer screen.

  5. #5
    Fuck that garbage. You should not be fined or jailed or anything else unless you've legitimately endangered somebody's life as we currently understand it under law.

    I hope Germany enjoys being online buttfucked by everybody due to this fascist bullshit. Garbage like this is what drives people to support Trump. Good job.

  6. #6
    OP running out of sjw articles to link Do you get the shakes when you're banned? Do you wake up and go to bed thinking about posting stuff on a video game forum?
    Legit curious, your kind is interesting to me. I'm feeding you the attention you require, answer my questions plzzzz.

    Germany free speech banana banana /10 char


    [Infracted]
    Last edited by Endus; 2017-06-30 at 04:34 AM.

  7. #7
    Void Lord Doctor Amadeus's Avatar
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    Yep. Pretty smart move the time has come. Have to start requiring a license on the internet highway?
    Milli Vanilli, Bigger than Elvis

  8. #8
    Herald of the Titans Putin-Chan's Avatar
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    And soon, the definition of hate speech will be conveniently expanded to be whatever Germany considers wrong to say.
    You could have the world in the palm of your hands
    You still might drop it

  9. #9
    Ah, here it comes, the usual suspects coming to claim that they can't live if they can't express complex political opinions, like ''GAS JEWS'' ''NUKE ARABS'' ''DROWN AFRICANS''.

    It would be silly to point out that the last time Germans had this awesome liberty, they were very happy as long as they keep sending brown shirts beating defenceless people, until they realize that ''KIL DUH SLUVS TO STEAL THEIR LANDS KEK''' was not such an awesome plan when you attacked someone with tanks and aircraft...


    Maybe if people had not been brainwashed into thinking Russians were vermin to be exterminated, there would be a few millions more Germans alive ?

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    Quote Originally Posted by -MDH- View Post
    And soon, the definition of hate speech will be conveniently expanded to be whatever Germany considers wrong to say.
    Nope. ''Death threats online count''

    I know it's completely impossible to fathom for the usual suspects, whose entire existence hinge on screaming like a possessed about how every single ethnic group besides their own is made of talking animals that should be exterminated, but a death threat count even if it's not a white guy

  10. #10
    Herald of the Titans PickleballAce's Avatar
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    I would normally be against strong levels of censorship, but in the case of certain countries, history has proven that they probably need it more than others.

  11. #11
    Banned Tennis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sarahtasher View Post
    Ah, here it comes, the usual suspects coming to claim that they can't live if they can't express complex political opinions, like ''GAS JEWS'' ''NUKE ARABS'' ''DROWN AFRICANS''.

    It would be silly to point out that the last time Germans had this awesome liberty, they were very happy as long as they keep sending brown shirts beating defenceless people, until they realize that ''KIL DUH SLUVS TO STEAL THEIR LANDS KEK''' was not such an awesome plan when you attacked someone with tanks and aircraft...


    Maybe if people had not been brainwashed into thinking Russians were vermin to be exterminated, there would be a few millions more Germans alive ?

    - - - Updated - - -



    Nope. ''Death threats online count''

    I know it's completely impossible to fathom for the usual suspects, whose entire existence hinge on screaming like a possessed about how every single ethnic group besides their own is made of talking animals that should be exterminated, but a death threat count even if it's not a white guy
    The only value in hate speech is encouraging hate, distrust and violence. It is very strange that we have people defending it on here.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Mormolyce View Post
    From Nazis, racists, white supremacists and other hate groups, yes.

    I can't imagine why they'd feel that way lol.
    All humans are part of hate groups, which hate groups are considered good depends entirely on the perspective of each individual human.
    "It doesn't matter if you believe me or not but common sense doesn't really work here. You're mad, I'm mad. We're all MAD here."

  13. #13
    Deleted
    This is so cool, i hope Canada as first country will follow this. Hate speech, racist shit, alt right shit should be banned. The WWW is not a place to confirm your insecurity.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Mormolyce View Post
    From Nazis, racists, white supremacists and other hate groups, yes.

    I can't imagine why they'd feel that way lol.
    Is your hate for hate groups starting a hate group against hate groups? Is that going to be protected?

  15. #15
    Dreadlord Dys's Avatar
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    Sounds like a great opportunity for internet cafes on (but outside of) the German border.

  16. #16
    Banned Tennis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hiram View Post
    This is so cool, i hope Canada as first country will follow this. Hate speech, racist shit, alt right shit should be banned. The WWW is not a place to confirm your insecurity.
    Hope so. I would sign a petition against hate speech and encourage others!

  17. #17
    Deleted
    I'm not surprised that Germany is once again attempting to censor free speech. These are the people they elect and put into power. Nothing new here. In Germany, dissent is a crime. America truly is the last bastion of free speech in the world.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sarahtasher View Post
    Ah, here it comes, the usual suspects coming to claim that they can't live if they can't express complex political opinions, like ''GAS JEWS'' ''NUKE ARABS'' ''DROWN AFRICANS''.

    It would be silly to point out that the last time Germans had this awesome liberty, they were very happy as long as they keep sending brown shirts beating defenceless people, until they realize that ''KIL DUH SLUVS TO STEAL THEIR LANDS KEK''' was not such an awesome plan when you attacked someone with tanks and aircraft...


    Maybe if people had not been brainwashed into thinking Russians were vermin to be exterminated, there would be a few millions more Germans alive ?

    - - - Updated - - -



    Nope. ''Death threats online count''

    I know it's completely impossible to fathom for the usual suspects, whose entire existence hinge on screaming like a possessed about how every single ethnic group besides their own is made of talking animals that should be exterminated, but a death threat count even if it's not a white guy
    Germans learn and teach all the wrong lessons about their history. That's fine. Have fun being apart of an illiberal "Democracy"... again.

  18. #18
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    Tennis ace is the biggest troll mmo-champion has ever seen. With an obvious game plan and strategy that's so elementary that the only reason one would continue to respond to such threads time and time again is because said people are about as intelligent as flies that constantly allow themselves to be attracted to a bug zapper. Which now includes me. Tennisace isn't a very good troll but on these forums satisfactory, is good enough.

  19. #19
    Void Lord Elegiac's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Therionn View Post
    I'm not surprised that Germany is once again attempting to censor free speech. These are the people they elect and put into power. Nothing new here. In Germany, dissent is a crime. America truly is the last bastion of free speech in the world.
    If money is speech, how can it be free.
    Quote Originally Posted by Marjane Satrapi
    The world is not divided between East and West. You are American, I am Iranian, we don't know each other, but we talk and understand each other perfectly. The difference between you and your government is much bigger than the difference between you and me. And the difference between me and my government is much bigger than the difference between me and you. And our governments are very much the same.

  20. #20
    And btw, there is a very good reason it's now frowned upon in Europe to scream hysterically for murdering people.

    See, before WW2, people noticed a odd correlation: curiously, the newspapers that called the more for killing Jews also called for not rearming against the Germans. That's bizarre, isn'it ? That's almost like Berlin paid lunatics like Charles Lindbergh to sell Jew hatred openly but sell covertly ''submit to your German overlords''

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Therionn View Post
    I'm not surprised that Germany is once again attempting to censor free speech. These are the people they elect and put into power. Nothing new here. In Germany, dissent is a crime. America truly is the last bastion of free speech in the world.

    - - - Updated - - -



    Germans learn and teach all the wrong lessons about their history. That's fine. Have fun being apart of an illiberal "Democracy"... again.
    Yeah, it was such a whopping succces for Germany to have for 12 years newspapers, radio, books and movies exclusively devoted to free speech as understood by the alt right (IE, violently call for murdering left people and minorities)

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