The French government has stepped up its battle against social media posts it deems are reflective of "hate speech." Lawmakers in the lower house of the French parliament passed a bill that will fine Facebook and other social media networks violating its internet policies on hate and other related issues.
According to the Associated Press, now that lawmakers in France have passed the bill, the French Senate will be finalizing aspects of the bill before it is finally enforced into law. Political experts are confident the law will receive massive support from French senators.
Some of the categories noted in the bill are posts that glorify terrorism and violence, as well as those promoting religious abuse and racism. If the bill passes all levels of French jurisdiction, companies will be forced to pay hefty fines for violations.
The main idea of the bill is simple: if "hate speech" messages are posted on a social media platform, France will give the company 24 hours to take down the posts in question. If the network refuses or fails to do so, heavy fines are underway.
It's not just Facebook that is under the French government's surveillance. Google and other search engines are in as well. Industry experts noted that France is showing how serious it is about hopefully eliminating all facets of hate and violence spreading through the internet.
Before the bill's progress was revealed, French President Emmanuel Macron already signified a strong stance against violence and anti-Semitic remarks. Earlier this year, he proposed the measure but was met with mixed views from lawmakers in the country.
Macron noted that the increasing number of posts on Facebook and other social media outlets focusing on anti-Semitism is something France should address. Extremist language and questionable behavior on the internet should also be inspected.
Progress was a little slower than expected since French lawmakers were largely divided over how hate speech and racist remarks, as well as discrimination of religion, should be defined or how France should fine Facebook and similar outlets.
For many experts, the fact that the lower house passed the bill and it is now up for Senate to pass or reject, could indicate how France is slowly understanding the impact of hate speech on society.
France follows suit after Germany approved a similar law that took effect this year. Under German laws, posts deemed "illegal" will have to be removed within a day or violators will face up to €50 million in fines - an amount that could be very frustrating to fish out for some companies.
A report released on Thursday revealed that almost half of the younger population in the European Union is faced with harassment from people who are anti-Semitic. It appears that France is working to reduce the numbers to promote peace in the bloc.
