Israel ministers approve bill to remove online ‘incitement’

JERUSALEM: 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 violence.

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 Israel, 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. Israel 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 Israel had referred to it. Shaked said on Sunday that in 2016, 71 per cent 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”. Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who also pushed for the bill, accused Facebook and other internet companies of not removing “inciting content” every time police ask them, or not doing so swiftly enough “despite the fact that incitement leads to terror.”

“The new law is essential in order to give us the tools to immediately act to remove content that could lead to acts of terror and murder,” Erdan said on Sunday. The move drew concern over the potential for online censorship.