France is eying new laws that would make the likes of Facebook and Google accountable for hosting extremist messages. As Bloomberg tells it, the new talk is a direct response to terrorist attacks from earlier this month, and should the draft law pass, it'd make online entities "accomplices" for hosting hate speech or terrorism sites. French president François Hollande addressed the sharp increase in terrorist recruitment over the internet, saying:
"We must act at the European and international level to define a legal framework so that Internet platforms which manage social media be considered responsible and that sanctions can be taken."
Speaking at an event marking the 70th anniversary of the Holocaust, President Hollande also called on social networks to stop the spread of anti-Semitism and other forms of hate speech. He said, "how in 2015 can we accept the need for armed soldiers to protect the Jewish people of France?" Like Canada and other nations, France has strong laws against Holocaust denial, racist statements and other forms of hate speech.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve will soon travel to the United States to meet with Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter and get their help in the matter preemptively. As The Verge points out, however, France will reportedly also ask internet companies for greater cooperation with law enforcement, which some fear could curtail privacy and lead to a European version of the Patriot Act. That means it may prove a tricky act for the Gallic nation to balance security with the EU's strong privacy rules.
Steve Dent contributed to this report.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Filed under: Internet, Microsoft, Google, Facebook
Via: The Verge
Source: Bloomberg
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