BONN, Germany (CelebrityAccess) — Embattled social media platform Twitter is facing regulatory scrutiny in Germany over its handling of user complaints over restricted content and could face steep financial penalties.
Germany’s Federal Office of Justice (BfJ) announced that it has initiated “fine proceedings” against Twitter International Unlimited under the terms of the Network Enforcement Act after determining that Twitter failed to comply with its legal obligations to deal with complaints about illegal content on the platform. According to the BfJ, the lack of response to illegal content suggests a system failure of the company’s management.
The BfJ initiated the inquiry after multiple instances of illegal content was published on Twitter, which the authority considers illegal and, despite user complaints, was not deleted or blocked by the provider within the legally stipulated periods.
Following its initial findings, the BfJ provided a window for Twitter to comment on the BfJ’s findings and if the company’s response is deemed insufficient, the BfJ will apply to the German court system to impose fines.
According to CNBC’s Vijay Anand, Twitter faces more than 600 cases for hate speech, which each carry a potential fine of up to 50 million euros.
Since the company was acquired by Elon Musk in October, Twitter has faced multiple warnings and penalties from European regulators related to content on the platform.
In November 2022, the EU warned Twitter that the platform could be banned in Europe due to its content moderation policies (or lack thereof) and that the company will be required to comply with the EU’s Digital Services Act when goes into effect in 2024.
