美国国家公共电台 NPR With Huge Fines, German Law Pushes Social Networks To Delete Abusive Posts

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

All right, today, Facebook, Google and Twitter will all be in Washington, talking to Congress about Russia's use of their social platforms during the 2016 presidential campaign. NPR is going to be exploring the growing social media landscape, the spread of false information and the tech companies who build the platforms in our series Tech Titans, Bots and the Information Complex.

This morning, we're looking at Germany, where the government is also grappling with fake news and hate speech on the Internet. The German parliament recently passed a controversial law imposing¹ hefty fines on social media companies that fail to remove offending posts. It is the toughest legislation of its kind in Western Europe. But as NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reports, it also has a lot of critics.

SORAYA SARHADDI NELSON, BYLINE²: Hate speech, incitement³ and defamation⁴ are banned under German law. But a Syrian refugee who snapped a selfie with Angela Merkel learned that things get murky⁵ when the violations⁶ occur online. Anas Modamani's photo with the German chancellor⁷, which he posted on Facebook, was used in fake news stories on the platform that falsely linked him to the deadly Christmas market attack here 11 months ago as well as the attempted murder of a homeless man.

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ANAS MODAMANI: (Speaking German).

NELSON: The Syrian refugee told reporters his life became unbearable⁸. "I can't go alone onto the street. I'm always scared," he said. But a German court struck down Modamani's attempt to stop Facebook from letting users repost the photo, ruling the company not liable for its distribution or removal. Some of the offending posts remain visible on Facebook. The Syrian man's lawyer, Chan-jo Jun, says the court ruling was a huge disappointment to his client.

CHAN-JO JUN: He said he even had tears in his eyes because he was really expecting that he would get justice in front of German courts. However, he got something else instead.

NELSON: Jun is referring to a new law called the Network Enforcement Act that quietly went into effect in Germany this month. It threatens social media companies that have more than 2 million users here with fines of up to $58 million if the platforms fail to quickly delete illegal, racist⁹ or slanderous¹⁰ posts.

Whether the new law will help Modamani in his legal battles remains¹¹ to be seen. The law's proponents¹² say their goal is to make it easier and quicker to address defamation and hate speech online at a time when such offenses¹³ are on the rise.

GERD BILLEN: (Speaking German).

NELSON: Gerd Billen, who is state secretary with the German justice ministry¹⁴, says they are anticipating 25,000 to 30,000 complaints a year. Facebook said it shares the German government's goal to fight hate speech and has made, quote, "substantial progress in removing illegal content." It also describes implementing¹⁵ the law as, quote, "complex." Billen says that's why the German government is giving social media companies a grace period until early next year to get their plans and teams in place.

BILLEN: (Speaking German).

NELSON: He adds that it's important to make social media companies more responsible, given their growing role as crucial influencers of public and private opinion. But the many critics of the German law dismiss it as an attack on free speech and warn it could lead to more censorship. Lawyer Volker Tripp of the Berlin-based Digital Society group predicts it won't be long before the law is challenged in court. He believes the law won't solve the reasons hate speech and fake news are growing in the first place.

VOLKER TRIPP: They are just symptoms of a much deeper-running problem, I guess. And this is why I think it's wrong to try and just delete or block posts one doesn't like or one considers illegal.

NELSON: Tripp says what would help is if German officials address what he believes is the cause of hate speech - the growing frustration¹⁶ of many Germans with their government. Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, NPR News, Berlin.

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GREENE: And if you want to find more stories from our series Tech Titans, Bots and the Information Complex, you can go to npr.org.

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1 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 incitement   

激励； 刺激； 煽动； 激励物

参考例句：

• incitement to racial hatred 种族仇恨的挑起
• Interest is an incitement to study. 兴趣刺激学习。

4 defamation   

n.诽谤；中伤

参考例句：

• Character defamation can be either oral or written.人格诽谤既可以是口头的也可以是书面的。
• The company sued for defamation.这个公司因受到诽谤而提起诉讼。

5 murky   

adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗

参考例句：

• She threw it into the river's murky depths.她把它扔进了混浊的河水深处。
• She had a decidedly murky past.她的历史背景令人捉摸不透。

6 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

7 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

8 unbearable   

adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的

参考例句：

• It is unbearable to be always on thorns.老是处于焦虑不安的情况中是受不了的。
• The more he thought of it the more unbearable it became.他越想越觉得无法忍受。

9 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

10 slanderous   

adj.诽谤的，中伤的

参考例句：

• A man of moral integrity does not fear any slanderous attack.人正不怕影子斜。
• No one believes your slanderous talk anyway!不管你怎么说，也没有人听信你这谗言！

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

12 proponents   

n.（某事业、理论等的）支持者，拥护者( proponent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Reviewing courts were among the most active proponents of hybrid rulemaking procedures. 复审法院是最积极的混合型规则制定程序的建议者。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Proponents of such opinions were arrested as 'traitors. ' 提倡这种主张的人马上作为“卖国贼”逮捕起来。 来自辞典例句

13 offenses   

n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势

参考例句：

• It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

14 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

15 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

16 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。