(Reuters) EU lawmakers should reject a proposed law that forces Google, Facebook and Twitter to remove terrorist content within an hour of publication because of the risks to fundamental rights, 61 civil rights groups said on Thursday.
The European Commission drafted the legislation in 2018 after a spate of attacks by radicalised lone-wolf attackers in several European cities, with online terrorist content seen as one of the contributing factors.
The European Parliament is expected to vote on the legislation next month, three months after reaching a political agreement with EU countries.
The civil rights groups, which include Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Civil Liberties Union for Europe and the European Federation of Journalists, said the proposal threatened freedom of expression, freedom to access information, the right to privacy and the rule of law.
