The European Parliament has just adopted new legislation concerning the online distribution of terrorist content.

The objective of this new law is to fight against this propaganda by forcing platforms to remove this type of content within an hour of being reported.

The ordinance targets any type of media whose content would incite to commit terrorist offenses - tutorial for making firearms or explosives, for example - or to join a terrorist organization.

“Terrorists recruit, share propaganda and coordinate attacks on the Internet.

[…] We have put in place mechanisms allowing Member States to remove terrorist content within a maximum of one hour across the European Union, ”said Polish MEP Patryk Jaki.

A threat to freedom of expression?

The original bill drew the wrath of several non-governmental organizations when it was presented in 2018. Several NGOs saw it as a threat to freedom of expression and a danger to democracy due to a lack of control. independent judiciary and a transnational withdrawal order system without safeguards.

This is why the final text of the ordinance has been amended to incorporate exceptions.

“Content downloaded for educational, journalistic, artistic or research purposes, or used for awareness-raising purposes, will not be considered terrorist content under these new rules.

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This law will come into force in 2022. While it forces platforms such as YouTube or Facebook to remove publications reported by a competent authority, they will not be responsible for monitoring their content or applying filters.

The bill was tabled in 2018, after the EU noticed that voluntary collaboration with web giants was not enough.

It remains to be seen whether the platforms will be able to remove terrorist content in less than an hour.

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  • Freedom of expression

  • European Commission

  • Terrorism

  • Social networks

  • EU

  • Europe

  • High-Tech