France Moves to Make Companies Block Hate Speech Online
It prompted heated discussion in the National Assembly over how to define hate speech.
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French lawmakers have approved a measure that is intended to force search engines and social networks to take hate speech off the internet.
The measure adopted on Thursday, 4 July, by the lower house of the French parliament would require social networks to remove hate speech within 24 hours of a confirmed violation. Search engines would have to stop referencing the content as well.
The provision, part of a bill on internet regulation, targets videos or messages inciting or glorifying terrorism, hate, violence, or racist or religious abuse. Violators could face hefty fines.
French President Emmanuel Macron proposed such a law earlier this year amid an uptick in anti-Semitic incidents in France and concerns about increasing extremist language online.