Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg
Facebook founder and CEO Mark ZuckerbergReuters

German prosecutors are investigating Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, as well as Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, European policy director Richard Allan, and Berlin Facebook manager Eva-Maria Krishcieper, for ignoring the rampant hate speech and incitement on their site, as well as failing to delete posts denying the Holocaust.

Though internet law is fuzzy, since the web crosses international boundaries, German law requires Facebook Germany to delete all known content which can be considered incitement of hatred.

In December 2015, Google, Facebook, and Twitter promised to remove all offensive posts in Germany within 24 hours, but in practice, Facebook users have reported that their requests for the removal of hate speech have been repeatedly ignored.

The criminal complaint lists 438 hateful or inciting posts that were reported throughout the year but not deleted.

Facebook, however, has declared it has not violated German law and is working to fight online hate speech.

"We are not commenting on the status of a possible investigation, but we can say that the allegations lack merit and there has been no violation of German law by Facebook or its employees," a company spokesman said.

German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said, "If the companies refuse to meet their responsibility, then there will be consequences."

Earlier this year, a criminal investigation of Zuckerberg was aborted because he does not reside in Germany.

Facebook has been used to incite hate and terror, and several experiments have proven Facebook's anti-Israel bias. As well, Facebook has been used to form terror cells.