Estonia - June 2024

On 19 June, Parliament approved amendments to the Information Society Services Act and the penal code to tackle the dissemination of terrorist content online and counter the spread of extremism.  The changes no longer require incitement to acts of terrorism to be of a public nature, but also criminalise incitement to terrorism - for example - in moderated forums.  Additionally, the changes seek to harmonise Estonian law with EU regulations, in force since 2022, enhancing cooperation with hosting service providers operating in the EU to remove terrorist content online. The regulation includes safeguards to protect freedom of expression, enabling service providers to contest a removal order, and ensuring transparency via annual reporting requirements. Hosting service providers are also required to inform users of content removal, provide access to a complaints procedure, and ensure means of restoring erroneously removed content. The law enters into force on 14 July.

Sources: Riigikogu,  Rigi Teataja (1), Rigi Teataja (2), Ministry of the Interior, ERR, European Commission