Whether it’s “hate speech” or “free speech,” do they not both amount to the same thing? Free speech is essential in the modern world and within recent years thrives best on social media, where the guise of anonymity encourages this language, ugly or otherwise, to be heard. Although condoning hate speech puts one in a bit of a gray area, does that make hate speech inherently wrong?

Recently, attention has been drawn to Facebook as CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the website will not tolerate hate speech.

This news comes as controversy strikes in Germany. Authorities have been worried about whether or not hate speech concerning the thousands of migrants flooding into the country can be censored on the popular social networking site.

Even German Chancellor Angela Merkel had to get involved, confronting Zuckerburg concerning Facebook’s lack of drive to crack down on racial injustice.

According to the Wired, German prosecutors have launched investigations into this racist hate speech. Given Germany’s dark past, most see this censorship regarding minorities as essential.

Would Facebook’s actions be right or should the website overlook such developments to maintain free speech within its boundaries?

“Hate speech has no place on Facebook and in our community,” Zuckerberg said. “Until recently in Germany, I don’t think we were doing a good enough job. And I think we will continue needing to do a better job.”   

It’s quite an understandable viewpoint to have; hate speech promotes racism, sexism and encourages other factors that diminish the value of human beings. To be directed towards minorities, in some regards, makes it even worse.

But what if Facebook’s censorship of “hate speech” extended to the United States? In a democratic society such as ours, censoring hate speech could potentially harbor unforeseen consequences, many of which pertain to the censorship of free speech.

The European migrant crisis is a controversial issue. The Internet provides a medium for individuals that may have second ideas about the crisis to voice their opinion to the masses.

But where is the gray line between a constructive, negative opinion and hate speech? Would social media websites truly care? What if websites like Facebook had the ability to remove content that isn’t in line with the views of the majority?

These are questions to ask when the topic of censorship in 2016 rears its ugly head. Even if it has positive implications, censorship is still a frightening prospect.