Brussels has sent a letter to Spain and 21 other European countries to reprimand them for not putting in place all mechanisms to combat the spread of terrorist content online. Appointing an authority responsible for eliminating dangerous content on websites and social networks or imposing sanctions against those who host this type of content are some of the measures that these states, including Italy and Portugal, have in place. Not approved yet.
The European Commission made the decision today [por el jueves] Send letters to officially notify 22 member states (Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia. , Finland and Sweden) Violation of some of the obligations of the Regulation on the dissemination of terrorist content on the Internet, such as: the requirement to designate an authority or authorities to execute takedown orders and to notify the Commission of said authorities, to appoint a public contact and to establish norms and measures of sanctions in case of non-compliance with legal obligations”, – It is stated in the statement of the government of the community.
The regulation came into force in June 2022 to combat speech that encourages terrorism online. “The continued presence of terrorist content on the Internet is a serious risk to citizens and society as a whole. Terrorists use the Internet for intimidation, radicalization, recruitment and facilitating the execution of attacks,” explains the commission, which recalls that in recent terrorist attacks, such as the one in Bratislava in October 2022. An example of that appointment, the important role that the Internet played in the organization of these attacks, showed.
The regulation obliges online hosting providers to remove terrorist content within one hour of receiving the order and applies to all types of formats (texts, images, audio or video recordings, including live broadcasts) that promote, request or facilitate terrorist crimes, provide references. for such a crime, or for soliciting participation in a terrorist group. It also includes material that provides guidance on the manufacture and use of explosives, firearms and other weapons for terrorist purposes. The ultimate goal is to combat radicalization and incitement to violence.
“Today’s decision aims to ensure that the member states concerned bring their national rules into line with European law as quickly as possible,” the commission said in an official message it sent to the majority of members who had not done their homework. It gives them two months to respond and address the deficiencies identified by the community authorities.
Source: El Diario
