Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and YouTube adopt EU hate speech rules

US tech giants have signed an agreement with the European Commission to tackle the spread of illegal hate speech online that requires them to address complaints within 24 hours.

Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, and YouTube adopted the code of conduct on Tuesday, committing to crackdown on the use of online hate speech swiftly by putting in place internal procedures to respond to the majority of notifications of abuse within 24 hours and remove the offending content if necessary.

The guidelines are aimed at combatting the use of social media by terrorists, according to a joint statement issued by the EC and the IT companies.

“The recent terror attacks have reminded us of the urgent need to address illegal online hate speech. Social media is unfortunately one of the tools that terrorist groups use to radicalize young people and racists use to spread violence and hatred,” said Vĕra Jourová, EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality.

The IT companies also agreed to educate their users about the types of content banned under their rules and to encourage them to flag material violating the “code of conduct.”

The measures are based on the Framework Decision on Combating Racism and Xenophobia, which criminalizes public incitement to violence or hatred and forms the legal basis for defining online content as illegal.

The European Court of Human Rights distinguishes between content that “offends, shocks, or disturbs the State or any sector of the population” and content genuinely intended to incite people to violence or hatred.

All of the companies said “hate speech” has no place on their platforms and promised to continue to take measures to combat it.

Twitter’s Head of Public Policy for Europe, Karen White, said the microblogging site remains “committed to letting the Tweets flow”.

“There is a clear distinction between freedom of expression and conduct that incites violence and hate.

“In tandem with actioning hateful conduct that breaches Twitter’s Rules, we also leverage the platform’s incredible capabilities to empower positive voices, to challenge prejudice and to tackle the deeper root causes of intolerance,” she said.

Microsoft noted that it had recently announced additional steps to specifically prohibit the posting of terrorist content.

Twitter, Facebook, and Google were sued by a French Jewish youth group this month after only a small number of posts containing hate speech that they had flagged were deleted, and only after a lengthy period – an average 15 days in the case of YouTube and Twitter.

However, two civil society groups involved in the discussions announced on Tuesday that they would not take part in future talks after they were excluded from final negotiations.

European Digital Rights (EDRi) and Access Now say they do not have confidence in the “ill considered” code of conduct, saying that there had been a lack of transparency and public input during the creation of the document.

The groups claim that the “‘code of conduct’ downgrades the law to a second-class status, behind the ‘leading role’ of private companies that are being asked to arbitrarily implement their terms of service.”

They have also pointed out the possibility that the agreement could be in breach of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

In addition, concerns are being raised that the agreement could damage freedom of expression by allowing private companies to define what constitutes hate speech and what does not.

http://www.rt.com/news/344978-facebook-hate-speech-eu/

Twitter suspends parody accounts that mocked Putin and Russian officials

Twitter has abruptly suspended several parody accounts that mocked a number of Russian officials, including a popular profile dedicated to impersonating President Vladimir Putin.

In a rare case of censorship, the social media platform known for advocating free speech has taken down the @DarthPutinKGB account, which while active had over 50,000 followers. Another profile that spoofed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov under the guise of @SovietSergey was also blocked, according to Radio Free Europe.

The spate of targeted takedowns has led some commentators to criticize what they deem Twitter's double standards, noting that the social network has previously resisted pressure to tackle extremism and hate speech on its service.

Related: The Russian government embarrasses itself once again on Twitter

For those of us who never had a chance to experience the @DarthPutinKGB account in all its Putin-parodying glory, Radio Free Europe has collected some juicy quotes from its zenith. "A 'sphere of influence' is just a polite term for a mafia clan's territory," reads a typical tweet attributed to the spoof profile. "A soviet Russian counterterrorism operation kills 146% of the suspects," states another post. And, of course, there's this highlight: "Leonardo DiCaprio isn't good looking enough to play me."

Although Twitter itself refuses to comment on the matter, the blog linked to the @DarthPutin account has issued an evidently incensed statement: "This is a Russophobic stab in the back by the accomplices of terrorists!" Despite adding, "I will be back," we doubt that kind of reaction will help its cause.

Nonetheless, most Twitter users will probably agree that the tweets in question are nowhere near as overtly offensive as the abuse that has been hurled around the site over the years.

A closer look at Twitter's policies for 'parody, commentary, and fan accounts' could offer some insight into the possible reasons behind the suspensions. Twitter claims that it takes no responsibility for its users' content, urging members to resolve disputes amongst themselves. However, if a violation of its terms of service is reported, it can take action.

The only violation that seems plausible in this case is in regards to the profile bio rules -- this is the summary attached to each account. Twitter states: "The bio should indicate that the user is not affiliated with the account subject by stating a word such as "parody," "fake," "fan," or "commentary," and be done so in a way that would be understood by the intended audience."

According to Politico ,the bio on @DarthPutinKGB read: "146% of Russians didn't elect me. You don't visit Russia, I visit you. I serve tea to those that call this parody. Tweets made topless signed vvp." Perhaps, this blurb simply wasn't satisfactory enough for the platform. Although we may never learn who reported it, we're guessing the Darth Putin account managed to ruffle quite a few feathers during its illustrious run.

Update: The @SovietSergey account has been reinstated.

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2016/06/01/twitter-suspends-parody-accounts-that-mocked-putin-and-russian-officials.html?cmpid=NL_SciTech/

EU is The Fourth Reich!

It sure is looking that way