The European Union chief executive has proposed a new law which would require Google, Facebook, Twitter and other online platforms to remove extremist content within one hour or face a fine.
“One hour is the decisive time window the greatest damage takes place,” said Jean-Claude Juncker in his annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament.
Those who fail to remove extremist content within the one hour limit could face a fine of up to 4 percent of their annual global turnover, which could equal $4billion for Google alone.
The one-hour timeline is a significant step up from the three months internet companies were given in March to show they were acting faster to take down radical posts. Now, EU regulators say too little is being done without legalisation forcing them to take action.
The proposed law states that the European Commission wants any content flagged by authorities for inciting or advocating extremist offences, promoting extremist groups, or showing how to commit such acts, to be removed within one hour.
To become law, the proposal will need backing from EU countries and the European Parliament. Media companies will also be required to develop new tools to locate abusive content and provide annual transparency reports to show their progress.
“We need strong and targeted tools to win this online battle,” Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said of the new rules.
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