EghtesadOnline: Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government plans to fine social media networks such as Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. if they fail to combat hate speech , as German officials accuse media companies of being too slow to take action.

EghtesadOnline: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday threw her support behind efforts to fight the use of hate speech posted on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google's YouTube.

EghtesadOnline: Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Boston on Saturday to protest a "free speech" rally featuring far-right speakers a week after a woman was killed at a Virginia white-supremacist demonstration.

EghtesadOnline: Leaked Facebook Inc documents show how the social media company moderates issues such as hate speech , terrorism, pornography and self-harm on its platform, the Guardian reported, citing internal guidelines seen by the newspaper.

EghtesadOnline: A German lawsuit over a photo showing a Syrian refugee with Chancellor Angela Merkel has put Facebook Inc.’s hate-speech policies under scrutiny. But the high-profile case has also shed light on complaints that the company tries to avoid and delay lawsuits in the country.

EghtesadOnline: While celebrating the 2013 election victory that gave her a third term as German chancellor, Angela Merkel reached over a colleague’s shoulder and removed a German flag from his hand. A video of that small gesture, meant to declutter an image she knew would soon rocket around the globe, went viral on social media as purported evidence of Merkel’s lack of patriotism -- and is now spurring an effort to compel companies like Facebook Inc. to rein in hate speech and fake news.

EghtesadOnline: U.S. tech giants including Facebook, Twitter, Google's YouTube and Microsoft will have to act faster to tackle online hate speech or face laws forcing them to do so, the European Commission said on Sunday.