Prosecutors in Hamburg have launched an investigation into the European head of Facebook over the social network's alleged failure to remove racist hate speech, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor said on Tuesday.
The move was announced as German politicians and celebrities voice concern about the rise of anti-foreigner comments in German on Facebook and by other social media as the country struggles to cope with the influx of about 1 million refugees this year.
Facebook's managing director Northern, Central and Eastern Europe Martin Ott, who is based in Hamburg, may be held responsible for the social platform not removing hate speech, the spokeswoman said. "We are at a very early stage," she added