Tech lobby asks for EU liability cover to tackle hate speech

Tech firms fear that by removing content voluntarily, such as with algorithms or other systems to detect infringements, they could be deemed to have actual knowledge and be liable for hosting the bad posts. — THOMAS ULRICH/Pixabay

Big technology platforms are calling on the European Union to protect them from legal liabilities for removing hate speech and illegal content as government scrutiny over how platforms manage user posts grows worldwide.

A safeguard protecting companies that actively manage user posts would result in “better quality content moderation”, by incentivising platforms to remove bad content while protecting free expression, Edima – an association representing Facebook Inc, ByteDance Ltd-owned TikTok, Alphabet Inc’s Google and others – said in a paper on Oct 26.