Germany will commence enforcement of a new law that requires social media platforms to quickly remove hate speech, fake news, and illegal material, or face fines reaching into the millions of Euros.

The Bundestag passed the "Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz Law" (NetzDG) last June, and it came came into force in October.  But the German government gave social networks a grace period - and plenty of warnings - before policing would begin.

NetzDG specifically covers notworks with more than two million subscribers.  That means it will primarily impact Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, but will also encompass Reddit, Tumblr, Vimeo, Flickr, and even the Russian social network VK.  One they are notified of illegal content, they'll have 24 hours to make it go away.  Failing to eradicate "obviously illegal" posts could incur fines of up to 50 Million Euros, which works out to more than AU$76 Million.

The German law is one of the toughest examples of governments and regulators trying to reign in wild and destructive content that goes viral through social media.  Other countries are alarmed over the spread of hate speech and fake news, but have limited their reactions to warnings or suggested guidance offered to the social networks.