Press release – Hate speech and fake news: remove content, impose fines, foster media literacy?

MEPs worry about the proliferation of hate speech and fake news, particularly in social media, they said in a debate on Wednesday. But they disagreed on how best to respond. Ideas aired included removing false and defamatory content, imposing fines to non-cooperative companies and fostering media literacy.

Many speakers called on internet companies to step up their efforts to ensure that false and defamatory content is removed quickly. Some asked the European Commission to explore the possibility of proposing new EU legislation in this field.

But there were warnings against censorship and public control of media outlets. Several MEPs also said it is necessary to improve media literacy among citizens, especially youngsters, given that social media are now the main information source for many of them.

You can catch up with the debate via Plenary on Demand