Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said recently that while he finds Holocaust denial "deeply offensive," he doesn't believe that such content should be banned from Facebook.
Speaking with Recode's Kara Swisher, Zuckerberg, who is Jewish, said in an interview Wednesday that he thinks there are things "that different people get wrong." He added that he doesn't think they are "intentionally" getting it wrong. At this point, Swisher cut in and said that in the case of Holocaust deniers, it may be intentionally wrong.
The remarks sparked broad criticism, with the Anti-Defamation League saying in a statement that Facebook has a "moral and ethical obligation" not to allow people to disseminate Holocaust denial on its platform.
Zuckerberg said that under Facebook policy, offensive content isn't necessarily banned unless it is intended to organize harm or attack someone.
In Israel, meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday blocked a version of the so-called Facebook bill before it was presented to the Knesset for a second reading.
The legislation aims to combat incitement on social media. Netanyahu's move, just as the Knesset dispersed for its summer recess, effectively postponed the passage of the bill indefinitely.
The bill, whose original version was submitted by MK Revital Swid (Zionist Union), is currently being promoted by Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked.
The bill's current version, according to Netanyahu, is "too open to interpretation" and could infringe on social media users' freedom of expression. He also raised concern that the bill would be struck down by the court as unconstitutional.
The bill already passed its first Knesset reading in January 2017.
If passed, the legislation would allow the Court for Administrative Affairs to issue court orders, at the government's request, forcing websites to remove content that incites to terrorism. Under the provision of the bill, posting content that poses a substantial threat to the security of an individual, the public or the state would constitute a criminal offense.
The legislation would obligate Facebook and other social media sites to actively monitor and remove posts expressing support for murder and terrorism. Additionally, social media sites would have 48 hours to remove posts that incite to violence. Failure to comply would result in a fine of 300,000 shekels ($82,000).
In response to the postponement of further discussions on the bill, Swid said: "The state's duty is to protect freedom of expression, the right to protest and the right to criticize – even the justice and law enforcement systems. The Facebook bill should be applied sparingly to avoid violating these values. A strong democracy can defend itself against online incitement to terror, and to the same degree preserve freedom of expression, protest and demonstration."
The Likud faction issued a statement Wednesday, saying that "in an effort to avoid violating freedom of expression rights and to ensure the rights of the citizens of Israel to freely voice criticism online, Prime Minister Netanyahu asked to halt legislation of the Facebook law and revert it back to its original wording and purpose – prevention of incitement to terrorism on the internet."
"The prime minister believes that the current wording of the bill allows for too much interpretation that could lead to censorship of opinions and a severe blow to freedom of expression in Israel," the statement said.
