Rival social media giants Facebook (Meta), TikTok, Twitter and YouTube have united to sue the German government over its strengthened online hate speech law, Politico reported Wednesday (Feb 2).
Starting this week, the measure known as the NetzDG, requires social media outlets to forward illegal content, including swastika photos or posts intended to incite violence, and user data to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), the country’s a central law enforcement agency.
The law requires tech companies to wait 30 days before telling a user about a transfer of their information to the police.
Given the growing number of lawsuits, Germany has told Google and Meta to delay following these new rules for now. But a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Justice told the news outlet that Twitter and TikTok are complying with the law while they fight it.
The lawsuit comes as German officials are trying to police a growing amount of online hatred and misinformation.
This is just the latest dispute that has landed Meta in court.
Learn more: FTC, 46 States Launch Massive Antitrust Suit On Facebook
In 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 46 states launched an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook alleging its network of “illegally maintaining its personal social networking monopoly through a years-long course of anticompetitive conduct.”
The FTC is seeking an injunction in federal court that could require divestitures of assets, including Instagram and WhatsApp.
Last month, a federal judge rejected Facebook’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
Read more: FTC Can Refile Antitrust Case Against Facebook, Judge Rules
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said the FTC could face challenges proving its allegations, but the agency has cleared the way to proceed.
In November, PYMNTS reported Facebook is facing a lawsuit from Phhhoto, the now-defunct photo app startup which filed an antitrust complaint in New York.
See also: Defunct Startup Phhhoto Slaps Facebook With Lawsuit Alleging Anti-Competitive Practices
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