Policing the internet in Germany, where hate speech, insults are a crime - 60 Minutes

[SouthBayDem]

If you've ever dared to read the comments on a social media post, you might start to wonder if civilized discourse is just a myth. Aggressive threats, lies, and harassment have unfortunately become the norm online, where anonymity has emboldened some users to push the limits of civility. In the United States, most of what anyone says, sends, or streams online — even if it's hate-filled or toxic — is protected by the First Amendment as free speech. But Germany is trying to bring some civility to the world wide web by policing it in a way most Americans could never imagine. In an effort, it says, to protect discourse, German authorities have started prosecuting online trolls. And as we saw, it often begins with a pre-dawn wake-up call from the police.

Full transcript from Sunday's 60 Minutes

My view of hate speech vs. free speech is that there is a trade-off to the benefits: If you want looser limits, the cost is coarser discourse. But the obvious downside of hate speech laws: Who gets to define "hate speech"?