The test case was conducted by the NGO HateAid, which collaborates with the Alfred Landecker Foundation as part of the joint Landecker Digital Justice Movement.

The subject of the lawsuit was a meme with a false quote attributed to Renate Künast (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), which had been spread countless times on Facebook. The test case dealt with the question whether Facebook is obligated to proactively search for and remove not only specifically reported memes in individual cases, but also content that is similar in wording and meaning. Until now, those affected have been required to track down and report this content on the platform themselves. Only then is Facebook obligated to delete it if necessary.

Social media companies such as Facebook and Meta have refused to cooperate for years, allowing illegal content is disseminated en masse and uncontrolled on the web. Renate Künast and HateAid have now taken legal action to clarify the extent of social media's obligation to cooperate in removing this content.

The press release (in German) on the HateAid lawsuit against Facebook can be found here.