As far-right violence and anti-Semitism rears its head in Germany, lawmakers believe that holding digital platforms to account could help bring far-right extremists to justice.

Ministers in Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet recently approved a bill to toughen existing online speech laws and force social networks such as Facebook and Twitter to report criminal posts to the police. Under the planned new law, social media platforms will not only have to delete certain kinds of hate speech, but also flag the content to the Office of the Federal Criminal Police (BKA). 

Companies will be required to report posts which include information about preparations for terrorist attacks and the “formation of criminal and terrorist groups.” The new law extends to multiple forms of hate speech, including racial incitement and the distribution of child pornography. The networks would also have to deliver “the last IP address and port number most recently assigned to the user profile” — which could be passed over to prosecutors.

The new measures, which require the approval of Germany's Parliament, were first proposed in the aftermath of a terror attack in the east German city of Halle in October, when a gunman targeted a synagogue, killing two people on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.