Theresa May will tell the world’s biggest investment companies today to put pressure on social media providers to remove terrorist and extremist content.
In a speech to be given to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the prime minister says that shareholders in companies such as Facebook and Twitter can make a “big difference” in ensuring that the services are trustworthy and safe. She also increases the pressure on technology giants. “No one wants to be known as the terrorists’ platform or the first-choice app for paedophiles,” she says.
Investigations by The Times have exposed how Islamic State terrorists flooded the internet with violent propaganda after attacks last summer and that detailed bomb-making videos were available on Facebook and YouTube, which is owned by Google.
Facebook’s moderators refused to remove paedophiliac images and terrorist beheading videos after concluding that the posts did not breach the site’s “community standards”. Hundreds of extremist videos and images are still being uploaded to Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Telegram, the encrypted messaging application.
Mrs May points out that investors have begun policing the conduct of social media companies, telling business leaders: “Investors can play a vital role by considering the social impact of the companies they are investing in. They can use their influence to ensure these issues are taken seriously.”
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She expects to meet President Trump after he arrives in Davos today. He will call on European companies to invest in the US. The president will “tell the world that America is open for business,” Gary Cohn, Mr Trump’s top economic adviser, said. “President Trump will reiterate that a prosperous America benefits the world. When the United States grows, so does the world . . . The president believes we can have truly win-win agreements. America first is not America alone.”
John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, will also arrive in Davos today for an overnight visit. He will warn the global elite to “be worried” if they do not end austerity.
Mrs May calls on bigger social media firms to help smaller ones by sharing technology to beat terrorists. “These big companies need to step up, so we also need cross-industry responses because smaller platforms can quickly become home to criminals and terrorists. We have seen that happen with Telegram,” she says. “And we need to see more co-operation from smaller platforms like this.”
