Germany Slammed by Web Giants for Fining ‘Hate Speech’ and Weakening Encryption

BERLIN (AP) — Germany faces criticism from some of the web’s biggest names over plans to weaken encrypted communication and fine social media sites for hate speech.

The Internet Society , which represents tech giants, academia and nonprofit organizations, says giving law enforcement “back doors” to break encryption is a bad idea. Its CEO, Kathy Brown, says encryption was “a vital tool for securing the digital economy, and for creating trust.”

Her comments Thursday come as Germany hosts a digital innovation summit for the G-20 countries.

Germany’s interior minister has called for security agencies to get powers to break encryption. The government also approved a bill Wednesday that would impose heavy fines on sites that fail to swiftly remove illegal content.

The Internet Society says companies aren’t best equipped to judge what is illegal.