To what extent are those affected left in the lurch by online defamation campaigns? How can people defend themselves against defamatory claims and “fake news”? The Baden-Württemberg Anti-Semitism Commissioner is now taking action against Twitter.
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – Baden-Württemberg’s anti-Semitism commissioner declares war on Twitter trolls: Michael Blume has sued the short message service to ensure that defamation against him is immediately removed from the platform and may not be restored. On Thursday, shortly before the start of proceedings at the Frankfurt district court, Blume told dpa: “It’s not about Twitter going out of business.” Rather, it is about the very fundamental question of how much hate speech can be spread on Twitter and to what extent victims of slander campaigns are left alone.
The new head of Twitter, Elon Musk, wants to allow mass accounts of people who “trolled” him and his family, said Blume. “Then the next few weeks will be torture for me and my family.” On Twitter, for example, it was claimed that he was cheating on his wife and that he was cheating on his wife with minors, Blume reported. “With my lawsuit, Twitter is supposed to ensure that the accounts remain deleted.”
Blume was and is repeatedly subjected to massive attacks on Twitter. It’s about how much public people have to put up with, he explained. Together with his Würzburg lawyer, he accuses the short message service of not removing illegal content sufficiently.
“If Twitter is allowed to continue to make money from hate and trolling and even arbitrarily unlock people who have been banned, then we all lose,” Blume told the Südwest Presse. The urgent procedure is to be negotiated in Frankfurt on Thursday afternoon.
