Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube have announced the formation of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism. The announcement was made in blogs published on their websites. The Home Secretary has welcomed the news.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd, said:
I welcome the news that Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter have launched an international forum to counter the dangerous spread of terrorist and violent extremist propaganda online.
This is a threat that transcends borders. That is why the Prime Minister is leading international efforts to tackle it. And that is why I urged the companies to step up and take the lead when I brought them together and hosted a roundtable about tackling this threat in March. That call has been echoed by my counterparts from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US, who I have met today.
I hope the forum will lead to more co-ordinated action to develop technical solutions; improve detection; encourage joint working and the sharing of knowledge and best practice with smaller companies. There is more work to be done and I look forward to seeing how we can build on this very positive step forward.