Twitter loses appeal in French case over online hate speech

Twitter must disclose details on what it does to tackle hate speech online in France, the Paris appeals court ruled on Thursday, handing a win to advocacy groups that say the social network does not do enough.

 

The decision provides ammunition to campaigners elsewhere in Europe who want tougher controls to prevent the spread of racist and discriminatory content on Twitter and other social media platforms. It upheld a ruling by a lower court last year that ordered Twitter to provide details on the number, nationality, location, and spoken language of people it employs to moderate content on the French version of the platform.

 

The lower court decision also required Twitter to disclose any contractual, administrative, commercial and technical documents that would help determine the financial and human resources it has deployed to fight hate speech online in France.