Facebook can be ordered to police and remove illegal content worldwide, Europe&#...
BRUSSELS - Facebook can be ordered to police and remove illegal content worldwide, Europe’s top court said on Thursday, in a landmark ruling that rights activists say raises concerns some countries could use it to silence critics.
“EU law does not preclude a host provider like Facebook from being ordered to remove identical and, in certain circumstances, equivalent comments previously declared to be illegal,” the Court said in a statement. In the Google case the court decided that the right to have personal data deleted was not absolute and freedom of information needed to be considered too.
Facebook slammed the decision, saying that it was not the role of social platforms to monitor, interpret and remove speech that may be illegal in any particular country. UK rights group Article 19 backed Facebook, saying it could lead to social platforms installing automated filters to screen out content.
“The CJEU is taking a position on this issue in that it is saying one must create and strengthen instruments for the enforcement of personal rights,” she told Austrian national broadcaster ORF.
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