In order to ensure the timely removal of terrorist content online, the competent authorities are authorised to issue removal orders. Upon receipt of such an order, hosting service providers must in principle remove terrorist content or disable access to terrorist content throughout the Union within one hour. The Terrorist Content Control Act (TIB-G) was passed to implement the TCO Regulation in Austria. The competent authority within the meaning of the TCO Regulation in Austria is the Communications Authority (KommAustria). It is responsible for issuing and reviewing removal orders within the meaning of the TCO Regulation. The TCO Regulation requires hosting service providers to take specific measures if they are exposed to terrorist content. The hosting service provider itself decides on the specific measures to be taken. These may include, for example, appropriate technical and operational measures or capacities (adequate staffing or technical resources to identify and immediately remove or block access to terrorist content).
The specific measures to be taken may also include the establishment of easily accessible and user-friendly mechanisms for users to report suspected terrorist content to the hosting service provider, as well as mechanisms to raise awareness of terrorist content, such as user moderation mechanisms. KommAustria is responsible for monitoring the implementation of these specific measures in accordance with Art. 5 TCO Regulation. The future will show to what extent these regulations of the EU and the Austrian legislator are actually suitable for helping to curb terrorist content online.
First published in Horizont on 03/05/2024.
