American tech giants Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and others reached an agreement with the Europe Union on Tuesday to crack down on online speech that some, including activist groups, identify as “hate speech.”
The Associated Press said the newly approved “code of conduct” will have the tech companies “quickly” remove “illegal hate speech directed against anyone over issues of race, color, religion, descent or national or ethnic origin.”
“Beyond national laws that criminalize hate speech, there is a need to ensure such activity by Internet users is expeditiously reviewed by online intermediaries and social media platforms, upon receipt of a valid notification, in an appropriate time-frame,” the companies said in a joint statement.
Terror organizations such as ISIS have has used the Web and social media to spread their message, the report said.
The companies admitted it would be a “challenge” to balance freedom of expression and “hate speech.”
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