E.U. Court Rules Facebook Can Be Forced to Delete Content.br The European Court of Justice br ruled that Facebook can be br ordered to remove content br by an individual country.br Content that has been ordered br removed such as posts, br videos and photos, could br also be restricted globally.br The case and its ruling has wide br implications for how social media br content can be regulated.br The decision follows the efforts br of an Austrian politician to force br Facebook to remove negative comments br about her in a post on a personal page.br Former leader of Austria's Green Party br Eva Glawischnig-Piesczek sought to br have "equivalent" posts by other br people removed, as well.br Facebook issued a statement against the br ruling, saying that it "undermines the longstanding br principle that one country does not have the right br to impose its laws on speech on another country.".br This judgment raises critical questions around freedom of expression and the role that internet companies should play in monitoring, interpreting and removing speech that might be illegal in any particular country, Facebook, Statement, via 'The New York Times'.br [The ruling] also opens the door to obligations being imposed on internet companies to proactively monitor content and then interpret if it is ‘equivalent’ to content that has been found to be illegal, Facebook, Statement, via 'The New York Times'.br The European Court of Justice ruling is final. br It highlights a growing divide between br the U.S. and E.U.