The regulation of hate speech online and its enforcement - a comparative outlook. Issue 1 (2nd January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Butler, Oliver; Turenne, Sophie
• Is Part Of: Journal of media law. Volume 14:Issue 1(2022)
• Page Start: 20
• Page End: 24
• Publication Date: 2022-01-02
• Subjects: Hate speech -- online hate speech -- social media -- freedom of expression -- comparative hate speech; Mass media -- Law and legislation -- Periodicals; Telecommunication -- Law and legislation -- Periodicals; 343.41099
• DOI: 10.1080/17577632.2022.2092261
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1757-7632

Abstract

ABSTRACT: On the initiative of the British Association of Comparative Law, this issue develops a broad comparative perspective on aspects of the legal regulation of hate speech online in China, France, Germany, the UK, Europe and the US. This editorial introduces the key lines of debates running through the papers. First, contributors discuss the appropriate role of public and private actors in regulating hate speech, with extensive reference to the German NetzDG and consideration of the UK Online Safety Bill. They also consider the communicative environment in which hate speech or 'vilification' arises; the 'intermediate' regulation or restrictions that sit between inclusion and prohibition of hate speech; and the concerns about the control, or lack of control, exercised by private actors over the speech of governmental public figures. They finally remind us that different legal and political cultures ultimately shape regional approaches, even when they share apparently similar rules.