Deal: one hour maximum for Facebook to delete terrorist propaganda

"With this deal, we are better equipped to fight terrorism - a crucial priority for the EPP Group", explained Javier Zarzalejos MEP today. His statement came after the European Parliament and Member States agreed this afternoon on a new law to force social media companies to delete terrorist propaganda off the internet within one hour or less.

Zarzalejos, who negotiated the law on behalf of the EPP Group, said: "It is an important success that we finally have in place a one-hour binding deadline for online platforms such as Google, Facebook and Twitter to delete flagged terrorist propaganda from their sites. Online terrorist propaganda has played a key role in the recent terrorist attacks in Europe. The difference of a video being online one hour, three hours, or 24 hours is millions of views. With these new rules, we are stopping terrorists from using the internet to radicalise, recruit and incite violence. It is another crucial tool in our common fight against terrorists."

The new rules will apply to all internet companies offering services in the EU irrespective of where the platform is located. The new rules include a clear definition of what constitutes terrorist content and also contains safeguards that minimise the risk of abuse.

Today's informal agreement still needs the formal approval of the European Parliament and Member States.