A couple weeks ago we wrote about Germany taking hate speech and fake news seriously.

In an article out from Reuters it looks like the fines are going to be huge and I would expect companies either pulling out of Germany or moderating a lot of content.

From the article:

Germany has some of the world’s toughest laws covering defamation, public incitement to commit crimes and threats of violence, with prison sentences for Holocaust denial or inciting hatred against minorities. But few online cases are prosecuted.

“There should be just as little tolerance for criminal rabble rousing on social networks as on the street,” Justice Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement, adding that he would seek to push for similar rules at a European level.

Read the full article for comments from Facebook and others who see this as possibly chilling free speech.