The European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee has approved legislation that would require social media sites to take down terrorist content within one hour of notification. If the companies do not adhere to the strict takedown deadlines, they would face fines of up to 4 percent of turnover.
The legislation was proposed last year by the European Commission after it found the internet industry was not making enough progress with its voluntary efforts. The European Council approved the plan in December 2018. It will now go to a vote before the full European Parliament next week. It will be up to the next Parliament, taking office this summer, to negotiate the final text of the law with the Council.
The Civil Liberties committee agreed with the main terms of the take-down procedure, but wanted to make sure the law did not make websites over-zealous in taking down content, impinging on freedom of speech. The websites would not be generally obliged to monitor the information they transmit or store, nor have to actively seek facts indicating illegal activity, the committee said in a statement.
If a company has been subject to a substantial number of removal orders, the authorities may request that it implements additional specific measures, such as regularly reporting to the authorities or increasing human resources. The Civil Liberties committee voted to exclude from these measures the obligation to monitor uploaded content and the use of automated tools.
The legislation targets any material - text, images, sound recordings or videos - that "incites or solicits the commission or contribution to the commission of terrorist offences, provides instructions for the commission of such offences or solicits the participation in activities of a terrorist group", as well as content providing guidance on how to make and use explosives, firearms and other weapons for terrorist purposes.
Content disseminated for educational, journalistic or research purposes should be protected, according to MEPs. They also made clear that the expression of polemic or controversial views on sensitive political questions should not be considered terrorist content.
