Germany has been fighting Facebook to better handle the removal of posts that incite hate speech, and after German chancellor Angela Merkel put in her two cents earlier this year, prosecutors in Hamburg have launched an investigation into the matter, placing responsibility on the company’s European head.
The investigation is in its early stages, but Facebook’s managing director for northern, central and eastern Europe, Martin Ott, who works out of the company’s Hamburg office, is being blamed for ignoring the recent influx of racist posts making their way onto the social network daily.
Facebook already partners with an outside source to help spot and remove any postings that might violate any laws or incite hate against a group of people, and while it wouldn’t comment on the investigation directly, Facebook stated that “the allegations lack merit and there has been no violation of German law by Facebook or its employees.”
Do you think the German government is taking the situation too far, or is this a real issue that should be under government control? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Source: The Guardian
Photo: Maria Elena [Flickr]
