Facebook looks to head off tougher regulation in Germany

PanARMENIAN.Net - Facebook is stepping up efforts to head off tougher regulation by Germany, a fierce critic of the social media network operator, with top managers visiting Germany and saying they would do more to combat fake news and hate speech, Reuters reports.

Top German lawmakers are planning legislation this year to force Facebook to remove incitements to hate crimes from its web pages within 24 hours or face fines, a push that could force the social media giant to bear more responsibility for content posted by users.

Chancellor Angel Merkel, who is running for a fourth term this year, has warned that the Internet is not "a space that is free from the law".

Facebook's COO Sheryl Sandberg visited Berlin to meet with German government officials considering new regulations on Facebook, according to a Berlin-based source at a rival Internet company.

In an interview with Germany's top-selling daily paper Bild published on Tuesday, January 17, she said Facebook could not single-handedly deal with hate speech and fake news posted on the network but had to work with third parties.

Facebook on Sunday announced a partnership with German third-party fact-checking organization Correctiv, promising to update its social media platforms in Germany "within weeks" to reduce the dissemination of fake news.

"We don't want to decide what the truth is, and I don't believe anyone wants us to do that," said Sandberg, Facebook's second-most powerful executive after founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg.

"When we say that we can't take it on ourselves, that doesn't mean that we don't want to take any responsibility. We do take responsibility."

The issue has taken on more urgency amid concern by Germany's political establishment that a proliferation of fake news and racist content, particularly about the 900,000 refugees that arrived here last year, could sway public opinion in the election campaign.

Dan Rose, who is in charge of partnerships for Facebook, onMonday acknowledged that it was no longer a simple communications platform.

"There is no question we play an important role in the media landscape," Rose told the DLD technology conference in Munich. "There are people who are discovering their news and consuming their video and other media types on Facebook ... We take that role seriously."

Rose said it aimed to expand that model to other countries.