The law would introduce fines for online platforms failing to remove harmful content.
Background: While regulation of big tech and social media has become an international trend over the past two years, France has been at the forefront of such trend for even longer. It was one of the earliest proponents of some form of digital tax, and passed legislation against ‘false information’ in December 2018.
Why a new law? The recent law against disinformation is mainly about transparency on the origin of information, and is mainly designed for election periods. Yesterday, the French president announced that a member of the Parliament, Laetitia Avia, will table a proposal that tackles hate speech by requiring online platforms to take down harmful content immediately, or face penalties (“a large fine”, as Digital Minister Mounir Mahjoubi reportedly said). The law will be inspired by the existing German law, and ensure judicial, criminal, and pecuniary sanctions are in place; it will state the responsibility of individuals, as well as platforms.
Next steps: The proposal is scheduled to be presented in May 2019, which is the first possible parliamentary window. If the timings are similar to those needed for the law against disinformation, the proposal could become law by the end of the year, or early in 2020.
