Agitation in Facebook groups: Environmental aid sues Meta
Today (12.00 noon), the Berlin Regional Court is hearing a lawsuit brought by Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) against the US internet giant Meta. The case is based on threats of violence and murder in public Facebook groups. DUH Federal Managing Director Jürgen Resch is demanding that the Facebook parent company close certain groups and is attempting to enforce this with a model lawsuit. According to Resch, he and his employees have been experiencing massive hostility and insults for years, which have now culminated in calls for violence and fantasies of violence.
According to Umwelthilfe, attempts to persuade Meta to close groups in which threats of violence and murder are regularly posted have been unsuccessful. Neither reports to Facebook itself nor around 300 criminal complaints from DUH had stopped the threats. The lawsuit should therefore legally clarify that online hate spaces are not tolerated, the DUH explained before the hearing.
The Berlin court originally wanted to examine the case back in the spring. At that time, however, the hearing was postponed due to illness. A Meta spokeswoman said at the time that hate speech was unacceptable and that the company was actively taking action against the spread of hate speech on Meta platforms. In this case, the reported content had been removed.
The ongoing lawsuit against Meta by Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) highlights the persistent issue of hate speech on the Internet, particularly in public Facebook groups. Despite numerous reports and criminal complaints, harmful processes like threats of violence and murder continue to persist.
Climate change advocates are not only fighting environmental degradation but also technological challenges, as platforms like Facebook struggle to control and prevent such cybercrimes contaminating the digital climate.
Source: www.dpa.com
