The Reading / Listening - Hate Speech - Level 5

Social media sites in Germany could face fines of $50 million for removing illegal content too slowly. Germany's government is cracking down on illegal online content, including hate speech, slander and fake news. The proposed new law would give Facebook, Twitter and other sites seven days to delete content flagged as illegal, or get a big financial penalty. Any content that was "clearly criminal" would have to be removed within 24 hours. Justice minister Heiko Maas said Twitter deletes only one per cent of the hate speech it is told about by users, and Facebook, 39 per cent.

Mr Maas said the fines were necessary due to increasing concern over the influence social media is having on public opinion. He said: "The biggest problem is that the social networks do not take the complaints of their own users seriously enough." He said voluntary efforts to tackle the problem were not working as too few comments are being deleted, too slowly. Mr Maas said social media sites would have to set up a complaints team that functions 24/7. A digital trade organization feared the 24-hour deadline for sites that deal with over a billion posts per day was "utterly impossible".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Hate Speech - Level 4 or  Hate Speech - Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-39269535
  • http://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-force-facebook-twitter-to-delete-hate-speech/a-37927085
  • https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/14/facebook-twitter-still-failing-on-hate-speech-in-germany/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. face
  2. removing illegal content
  3. Germany's government is cracking
  4. hate speech, slander
  5. The proposed
  6. delete content
  7. get a big financial
  8. the hate speech it is told
  1. penalty
  2. down
  3. new law
  4. too slowly
  5. flagged as illegal
  6. about by users
  7. fines of $50 million
  8. and fake news

Paragraph 2

  1. Mr Maas said the fines
  2. increasing
  3. the influence social media
  4. voluntary efforts
  5. a complaints team that
  6. the 24-hour
  7. sites that deal with
  8. utterly
  1. concern
  2. to tackle the problem
  3. over a billion posts per day
  4. deadline
  5. impossible
  6. functions 24/7
  7. is having on public opinion
  8. were necessary

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Social media sites in Germany (1) ___________________ $50 million for removing illegal content too slowly. Germany's government is cracking (2) ___________________ online content, including hate speech, slander and fake news. The (3) ___________________ law would give Facebook, Twitter and other sites seven (4) ___________________ content flagged as illegal, or get a big financial penalty. Any content that (5) ___________________ would have to be removed within 24 hours. Justice minister Heiko Maas said Twitter deletes only one per cent (6) ___________________ it is told about by users, and Facebook, 39 per cent.

Mr Maas said the fines were necessary (7) ___________________ concern over the influence social media (8) ___________________ public opinion. He said: "The biggest (9) ___________________ the social networks do not take the (10) ___________________ complaints of their own users seriously enough." He said voluntary efforts to tackle the problem were not working as too few (11) ___________________ deleted, too slowly. Mr Maas said social media sites would have to set up a complaints team that functions 24/7. A digital trade organization feared the 24-hour deadline for sites that deal with over a billion posts per (12) ___________________ impossible".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

SocialmediasitesinGermanycouldfacefinesof$50millionforremoving
illegalcontenttooslowly.Germany'sgovernmentiscrackingdownonill
egalonlinecontent,includinghatespeech,slanderandfakenews.Thepr
oposednewlawwouldgiveFacebook.Twitterandothersitessevendays
todeletecontentflaggedasillegal,orgetabigfinancialpenalty.Anycont
entthatwas"clearlycriminal"wouldhavetoberemovedwithin24hours.
JusticeministerHeikoMaassaidTwitterdeletesonlyonepercentoftheh
atespeechitistoldaboutbyusers,andFacebook,39percent.MrMaassai
dthefineswerenecessaryduetoincreasingconcernovertheinfluences
ocialmediaishavingonpublicopinion.Hesaid:"Thebiggestproblemisth
atthesocialnetworksdonottakethecomplaintsoftheirownusersseriou
slyenough."Hesaidvoluntaryeffortstotackletheproblemwerenotwor
kingastoofewcommentsarebeingdeleted,tooslowly.MrMaassaidsoci
almediasiteswouldhavetosetupacomplaintsteamthatfunctions24/7.
Adigitaltradeorganizationfearedthe24-hourdeadlineforsitesthatdea
lwithoverabillionpostsperdaywas"utterlyimpossible".

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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