French gov't vows to step up fight against racism on internet

PARIS - French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Monday pledged tough regulations to fight racism and anti-Semitism on social media.

"I will never be made to believe that social networks are spaces above ground. All that is published and diffused in France must answer the laws of the Republic," Philippe said.

At a press meeting to unveil the government's 2018-2020 plan against racism, Philippe added that as hatred surfaces online, "our duty is to continue the fight by adapting it -- by equipping oneself with good weapons, and by using them in the right place, at the right time."

He said France was working, also at an EU level, on a law that would force operators to withdraw hateful, racist or anti-Semitic content "as soon as possible."

At home, "we will change the national legislation because we have room for maneuver that can strengthen obligations of detection, reporting, deletion and prevention of illegal content," he said.

As part of the two-year project, the government wants to "allow investigation under pseudonyms" which gives the green light to cyber-investigators to join chat rooms to easily identify publishers of hate speech.

Furthermore, France is considering a fine against social networks that refuse to remove racist comments and the closure of accounts spreading hate messages.