Israeli ministers have approved a bill that would allow a court to order sites such as Facebook and YouTube to remove material found to be “incitement,” which they say contributes to Palestinian attacks on Israelis.
A panel of ministers approved the legislation on Sunday and it will now be taken up by the country’s parliament.
Government watchdogs have expressed concern such a law could be abused and harm free speech.
The legislation, known as the “Facebook bill” in Zionist entity, would allow the government to petition a court to have online material it considers incitement removed.
It would be removed in cases where it poses “a real risk to the security of a person, the public or the state,” Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said in a statement.
Tel Aviv has previously held discussions with Facebook officials to stop what it calls “online incitement”.
In September, Shaked said that the social network giant had removed 95 percent of the posts the Zionist entity had referred to it.
Shaked said Sunday that in 2016, 71 percent of the 1,755 requests “Israel” filed to internet companies requesting they remove content were fully complied with.
She noted the ongoing collaboration with the internet companies, but stressed that it was “important this cooperation will be obligatory”.
Source: AFP
