The German government yesterday secured an agreement from Facebook, Google and Twitter to delete hate speech within 24 hours as it steps up efforts to combat racist sentiments being expressed online in the wake of the European refugee crisis.
German has agreed to accept hundreds of thousands of refugees, many of whom are fleeing ongoing civil war and the spread of ISIS in Syria. Conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan is also feeding the refugee crisis. The influx of migrants to Germany, which has agreed to take the largest number of refugees, has led to a rise in racist sentiments expressed via web platforms such as Facebook.