The Story
Last Wednesday, YouTube said it was updating its hate speech policy by banning videos that promote one group as superior to another to “justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status”.
The video-sharing website, which is owned by Google, will also remove videos that deny “well-documented violent events” such as the Holocaust.
Impact on Businesses and Law Firms
For many years, Facebook and Google have evaded the law, arguing they are neutral platforms to deflect responsibility for the content posted on their sites. However, recent privacy scandals, and the spread of fake news and violent content, has led to a global push to regulate social media companies.
Earlier this year, Australia passed laws that could lead to fines and prison sentences for social media companies if they do not quickly remove “abhorrent violent material”. In addition, Singapore introduced legislation designed to tackle fake news, while new rules in India allows the government to order platforms to remove posts within 24 hours. Both the UK and French governments also proposed establishing an independent body with powers to regulate social media companies.
The recent crackdowns on hateful content may be attempts by Facebook, Google and Twitter to get ahead before more onerous regulations are imposed. However, as these companies take a more active role in banning content, they have also been heavily criticised for censoring free speech. As the law tries to catch up with the rise of Big Tech, it will be up to commercial law firms to help social media companies navigate this grey area.
