E.U. Court Rules Facebook Can Be Forced to Delete Content.<br />The European Court of Justice <br />ruled that Facebook can be <br />ordered to remove content <br />by an individual country.<br />Content that has been ordered <br />removed such as posts, <br />videos and photos, could <br />also be restricted globally.<br />The case and its ruling has wide <br />implications for how social media <br />content can be regulated.<br />The decision follows the efforts <br />of an Austrian politician to force <br />Facebook to remove negative comments <br />about her in a post on a personal page.<br />Former leader of Austria's Green Party <br />Eva Glawischnig-Piesczek sought to <br />have "equivalent" posts by other <br />people removed, as well.<br />Facebook issued a statement against the <br />ruling, saying that it "undermines the longstanding <br />principle that one country does not have the right <br />to impose its laws on speech on another country.".<br />This judgment raises critical questions around freedom of expression and the role that internet companies should play in monitoring, interpreting and removing speech that might be illegal in any particular country, Facebook, Statement, via 'The New York Times'.<br />[The ruling] also opens the door to obligations being imposed on internet companies to proactively monitor content and then interpret if it is ‘equivalent’ to content that has been found to be illegal, Facebook, Statement, via 'The New York Times'.<br />The European Court of Justice ruling is final. <br />It highlights a growing divide between <br />the U.S. and E.U. over big tech regulations