Facebook would be fined roughly $500,000 for each instance of “fake news” it fails to keep from being shared across its network under new rules proposed by a leading German lawmaker.
In the aftermath of so-called “fakes news” stories being blamed with influencing the outcome of the recent U.S. presidential election, lawmakers abroad have begun considering solutions aimed to stop the spread of blatantly false and intentionally misleading articles designed to resemble legitimate news items.
In Germany, where federal elections are slated to take place toward the end of 2017, parliamentarians have begun proposing legislation that would impose penalties for individuals who purposely share fake news stories and the social networks that fail to take action.
Thomas Oppermann, the chairman of the German Social Democratic Party, recently proposed legislation that would require Facebook to constantly monitor its network for the presence of fake news and pay hefty fines for not quickly removing offending articles.
“Market dominating platforms like Facebook will be legally required to build a legal protection office in Germany that is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” Mr. Oppermann told Der Spiegel, as translated by Deutsche Welle.
“If, after appropriate examination, Facebook does not delete the offending message within 24 hours, it should expect individual fines of up to 500,000 euros,” or around $522,575, he said.
Mr. Oppermann said he expects his colleagues will consider the legislation after the winter holidays, but he has already found support in the form of similar measures being floated by other parliamentarians in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government.
Volker Kauder, a senior member of Ms. Merkel’s Christian Democrats Union (CDU), said in a statement Friday that the coalition “will take action at the beginning of next year.”
“We plan to impose high penalties that would affect companies like Facebook if they do not meet their responsibilities,” Mr. Kauder said, Reuters reported.
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas, a Social Democrat also in Ms. Merkel’s CDU, said he believes punishment for sharing fake news shouldn’t be limited to fiscal penalties, either.
“Defamation and malicious gossip are not covered under freedom of speech,” he told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. “Justice authorities must prosecute that, even on the internet,” he added, the likes of which he said may include punishment ranging up to five years in jail.
“Anyone who tries to manipulate the political discussion with lies needs to be aware [of the consequences],” he said.
According to Mr. Maas, Facebook has an obligation to do more than merely profit off its billion-plus average daily users.
“Facebook is earning an awful lot of money with fake news,” he told Bild am Sonntag. “A company that earns billions from the internet also has a social responsibility. Prosecutable defamation must be deleted immediately, once reported. It needs to be made easier for users to report fake news.”
Indeed, Facebook announced last week that it was rolling-out tools intended to stop the spread of fake news from across its network. On the heels of being widely blamed for allowing bogus articles to influence the results of the recent White House race, however, those steps may be considered too little too late for some.
“We take the issues raised very seriously, and we are engaging with key politicians and digital experts from all parties and relevant ministries interested in this matter,” Facebook said in a statement in response to recent efforts in Germany.
“Our announcement last week underlines our efforts to improve our systems,” Facebook added, citing “several new functions that address the issue of fake news and hoaxes.”
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Democrat and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, last month asked her colleagues to investigate recent reports involving “concerted Russian efforts to promote so-called ’fake news’ relevant to the presidential race in the run up to the election.” In Germany, meanwhile, Ms. Merkel accused Russia last month as well of using the internet to circulate “news which sows false information.”
Moscow has repeatedly denied using internet campaigns to meddle in foreign elections in response to recent allegations from both Washington and Berlin.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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