Poland wants to stop Facebook from deleting abusive and false content

Poland wants social media portal Facebook to be subject to Polish law and prevent it from blocking the account and content, Digitization Minister Anna Streżyńska said in an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza daily. She added that it would be Facebook users who will be reporting abusive content and fake news. “There are no legal objections to it - it is compatible with Polish and international law,” she said. The change would require the amendment of the Act on the provision of electronic services, and as a result, Facebook could not, as it does now, block certain accounts and content that their owners post. “It will not be a surprise because as owners of profiles and at the same time users of global services on a large scale we use social media to interact with other people,” Streżyńska said. According to her, the new law would also regulate issues related to hate speech, while ensuring that the user has the right to have their own profile. "We give power to the users, that is, users report such content when they feel the violation of their personal interests,” Streżyńska explained. Asked who will decide what is fake news, the minister replied that the users will decide whether they feel “threatened and whether their business has been compromised,” adding that the question of the truthfulness of the information submitted would be settled by the court, which would require setting up 24-hour courts “because the nature of the internet can not allow for longer disruptions,” she said, adding that this idea already has the support of Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro.