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Germany Passes Bill To Fine FaceBook, Twitter Up To $50MM For "Fake News"
Zero Hedge ^ | Tyler Durden

Posted on 04/06/2017 5:40:09 AM PDT by Enlightened1

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has apparently decided she's not willing to take the chance of becoming the latest politician to fall victim to the same "Russian hacking" and "fake news" campaigns which 'undoubtedly' caused the downfall of America's liberal darling, Hillary Clinton (forget those pay-for-play scandals, federal record retention violations and willful non-compliance with Congressional subpeonas...total non-factors in the 2016 election).

And since they can't really control the actions of those pesky 'Russian hackers," Germany's cabinet has instead decided to pass legislation that would impose serious fines of up to 50 million Euros on any social networks that fail to swiftly remove content that could be deemed "hateful" or "fake news." Per Yahoo News:

"Germany's Cabinet on Wednesday approved a new bill that punishes social networking sites if they fail to swiftly remove illegal content such as hate speech or defamatory fake news.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet agreed on rules that would impose fines of up to 50 million euros (53.4 million dollars) on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.

German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said that the companies offering such online platforms are responsible for removing hateful content. He said the new bill would not restrict the freedom of expression, but intervene only when criminal hatred or intentionally false news are posted."

Of course, all of this begs the question of exactly how German officials define "fake news" as the lines between what is pure 'fact' versus 'opinion' often grow very blurred in politics. Moreover, politicians themselves are often the biggest purveyors of "fake news"...so if someone quotes the erroneous comments of a German politician on FaceBook is the social network then liable? All questions that would have seemed silly just a year ago...

(Excerpt) Read more at zerohedge.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Germany; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: facebook; fine; merkel; million
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Only 50 million?

I am surprised former East German Stasi Angela Merkel does not want to send them to a resettlement camp.

1 posted on 04/06/2017 5:40:09 AM PDT by Enlightened1
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To: Enlightened1

2 posted on 04/06/2017 5:41:56 AM PDT by Enlightened1
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To: Enlightened1

Typical leftist stifling of dissent. I’d expect nothing less from these Stasi bastards.


3 posted on 04/06/2017 5:42:56 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Enlightened1

Indeed. Born and bred.


4 posted on 04/06/2017 5:43:41 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Enlightened1

It’ll take a few weeks...but public-TV in Germany will likely be one of the first hits...where comedians have had fake-TV news for decades. It’ll be pointed out that it’s fake news, and the censor folks will refuse to ID them as a problem. At that point, the public will start laughing at the general political gimmick created.


5 posted on 04/06/2017 5:44:00 AM PDT by pepsionice
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To: Enlightened1
Repeat: East German Stasi Angela Merkel
6 posted on 04/06/2017 5:45:56 AM PDT by QBFimi (It is not your responsibility to finish the work of perfecting the world... Tarfon)
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To: pepsionice

And truth sayers will take the knocks and the fines and Germans will die at the hands of Muslim ‘freedom’ fighter insurgents because Frau Stasi has some screwed up bee in her bonnet.


7 posted on 04/06/2017 5:46:20 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Enlightened1

Wow. Germany and the world should take heed of the next Totalitarian regime on the rise.
The EU can’t crumble soon enough.


8 posted on 04/06/2017 5:46:40 AM PDT by JayGalt
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To: Enlightened1
RE:”Germany's Cabinet on Wednesday approved a new bill that punishes social networking sites if they fail to swiftly remove illegal content such as hate speech or defamatory fake news.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Cabinet agreed on rules that would impose fines of up to 50 million euros (53.4 million dollars) on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. “

How do they collect the fines?

9 posted on 04/06/2017 5:48:11 AM PDT by sickoflibs (Trump declares war!)
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To: sickoflibs

“How do they collect the fines?”

Facebook promotes hatred of America, Trump, women, and propaganda for “refugees”.

Zuck calls them contributions.


10 posted on 04/06/2017 5:51:59 AM PDT by treetopsandroofs (Had FDR been GOP, there would have been no World Wars, just "The Great War" and "Roosevelt's Wars".)
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To: Enlightened1

Free Speech is not even a concept in Europe, is it?


11 posted on 04/06/2017 5:52:49 AM PDT by Little Ray (Freedom Before Security!)
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To: Enlightened1

I didn’t know that Facebook created news content. This is new to me.


12 posted on 04/06/2017 5:53:15 AM PDT by Mr. Douglas (Best. Election. EVER!)
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To: Enlightened1

Merkle: “Und #VakeNews is anything vee do not like!”

Merkel pines for the good old days of East Germany.

How long has this bitch been in power? I seem to remember her all the way back to Dubya days.


13 posted on 04/06/2017 5:57:54 AM PDT by Lazamataz (The "news" networks and papers are bitter, dangerous enemies of the American people.)
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To: Enlightened1

Fake news, like Milli Vanilli winning Grammys for best recordings?

Fake news, like George W. Bush was AWOL as described in faxed national guard memos?

Fake news, like Benghazi was caused by a blasphemous YouTube portrayal of Mohammed?


14 posted on 04/06/2017 5:58:19 AM PDT by a fool in paradise (patriots win, Communists and Socialist Just-Us Warriors lose)
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To: sickoflibs
How do they collect the fines?

Bitcoin

15 posted on 04/06/2017 6:00:11 AM PDT by a fool in paradise (patriots win, Communists and Socialist Just-Us Warriors lose)
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To: Enlightened1

Germany will start another war. It’s in their soul


16 posted on 04/06/2017 6:10:39 AM PDT by rrrod (just an old guy with a gun in his pocket.l)
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To: sickoflibs

The Germans can go seize 700 acres in Kauai.


17 posted on 04/06/2017 6:20:15 AM PDT by ptsal
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To: Enlightened1
On a related note, from a year ago...

Facebook has outsourced its fight against racist posts in Germany

Bertelsmann is the company that has its hooks in Obama...

18 posted on 04/06/2017 6:25:09 AM PDT by mewzilla (Was Obama surveilling John Roberts? Might explain a lot.)
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To: Gaffer

Das Fuhrerette is more and more coming to resemble Der Fuhrer.


19 posted on 04/06/2017 6:30:24 AM PDT by libstripper (nd)
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To: Enlightened1

They should up in to 100 Billion!


20 posted on 04/06/2017 6:33:27 AM PDT by The Toll
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