Twitter censors neo-Nazi group in Germany with new tool < br />

2012-10-19 06:13:08 GMT+7 (ICT)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) -- The social networking website Twitter has censored a German neo-Nazi group on a country-specific level, the first time the company has used the tool after its controversial introduction earlier this year, representatives said on Thursday.

"[We] never want to withhold content; good to have tools to do it narrowly and transparently," Alex Macgillivray, Twitter's chief lawyer, said in a tweet. "We announced the ability to withhold content back in January. We're using it now for the first time [regarding] a group deemed illegal in Germany."

The account of the far-right group Besseres Hannover was censored after police in the German city of Hanover wrote a letter to Twitter on September 25, asking the company to close the @hannoverticker account after the Interior Ministry in the German state of Lower-Saxony decided to ban the group.

"It is disbanded, its assets are seized and all its accounts in social networks have to be closed immediately," Hanover Police wrote in the letter, which was made public by the Chilling Effects website. "It is the task of the Polizeidirektion Hannover (Hanover Police) to enforce the ban."

The letter also said German authorities have also launched an investigation into the group on suspicion of forming a criminal association. "I ask you to close this account immediately and not to open any substitute accounts for the organisation 'Besseres Hannover'," last month's letter added.

Twitter received a storm of criticism in January when it announced that it will block tweets and user profiles in some countries if they are found to violate local laws. The new policy allows Twitter to block, for example, pro-Nazi content in France and Germany where this is illegal.

Previously, Twitter was not able to block content on a local level and was instead forced to remove the content globally. "Starting today, we give ourselves the ability to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country - while keeping it available in the rest of the world," the U.S.-based company said in a blog post in January. It promised to communicate to users when and for what reason content is withheld.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-10-19

Where are all the Thai-bashing nitwits who are constantly complaining about Thailand being the only country that practices censorship? Come on, you free-speech gurus, how about commenting on the censorship in highly-advanced Germany? Aaah, but you'll say that each country has a right to determine what is acceptable in their own countries. Novel idea.

Where are all the Thai-bashing nitwits who are constantly complaining about Thailand being the only country that practices censorship? Come on, you free-speech gurus, how about commenting on the censorship in highly-advanced Germany? Aaah, but you'll say that each country has a right to determine what is acceptable in their own countries. Novel idea.

I complain about any country that practices censorship, including my own. Further, I don't agree that any country has the "right" to determine what is "acceptable" in their own country. But that said, screw the nazi's.

Freedom of speech is relative. I don't know any place where you can say anything you want, any where you want without consequences. Whether it's hate speech, laws about defamation and libel, or incitement to violence, there are limits.

Freedom of speech is relative. I don't know any place where you can say anything you want, any where you want without consequences. Whether it's hate speech, laws about defamation and libel, or incitement to violence, there are limits.

I do agree Credo that there is nowhere that anyone can say whatever they please w/o consequences. My own limits are imposed by my impecable ethics.

Congratulations. My restraint is completely controlled by the limits of what is legally permitted!

Where are all the Thai-bashing nitwits who are constantly complaining about Thailand being the only country that practices censorship? Come on, you free-speech gurus, how about commenting on the censorship in highly-advanced Germany? Aaah, but you'll say that each country has a right to determine what is acceptable in their own countries. Novel idea.

There is a big difference. If the Jetski gang in Patong opened a Twitter account to facilitate its ripping off of tourists and the Thai government acted to shut it down, I would support such a move. If a group pledged to violence opened a Twitter aaccount in France, Canada, or Australia and the government acted to shut it down, I too would support such a move. In this case, we have a group with an alleged criminal intent that opened a Twitter account. If this group was dedicated to promoting a political ideology only, they would not be shut down. Typically, these groups use social media to promote violence or criminal activity and it is on that basis that the German authorities acted. Really no different than not letting the Mafia in New Jersey or gangs in Los Angeles advertise for open jobs as thugs or pimps.