Tech firms may face new legal liability as PM and Macron target extreme content
Tech firms may face new legal liability as PM and Macron
target extreme content
Theresa May and the French president want to ensure the
internet is not used as a safe space for terrorists and criminals.
Last updated: 12 June 2017, 22:50 BST
Social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter could
be fined if they fail to remove extremist propaganda and terrorist material
under proposals agreed by Prime Minister Theresa May and French President
Emmanuel Macron.
Speaking ahead of a visit to Mr Macron in Paris on
Tuesday in the wake of a series of jihadi attacks in Westminster, Manchester
and London Bridge, Mrs May said she and the president were determined to ensure
the internet could not be used as a safe space for terrorists and criminals.
The UK and France are to develop plans to create a new
legal liability for tech companies which fail to take action against
unacceptable content on their platforms.
The two countries are to lead joint work with internet
giants to explore the potential for new tools to identify and remove harmful
material automatically.
Mrs May’s visit comes just days after legislative
elections in France which appear to have delivered Mr Macron’s En Marche party
an overwhelming dominance in parliament, just as the UK General Election
deprived the Prime Minister of her own Commons majority.
After talks and a working dinner at the Elysee Palace,
the pair are set to travel to the Stade de France to watch England take on
France in a friendly football international.
Mrs May said: “The counter-terrorism co-operation between
British and French intelligence agencies is already strong, but President
Macron and I agree that more should be done to tackle the terrorist threat
online.
“In the UK we are already working with social media
companies to halt the spread of extremist material and poisonous propaganda
that is warping young minds.
“And today I can announce that the UK and France will
work together to encourage corporations to do more and abide by their social
responsibility to step up their efforts to remove harmful content from their
networks, including exploring the possibility of creating a new legal liability
for tech companies if they fail to remove unacceptable content.
“We are united in our total condemnation of terrorism and
our commitment to stamp out this evil.”
Mrs May and Mr Macron will press tech companies to move
forward urgently with the establishment of an industry-led forum to develop
shared technical and policy solutions to the problem, as agreed by leaders of
the world’s most advanced economies at last month’s G7 summit in Italy.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd and French interior minister
Gerard Collomb will meet in the coming days to drive the agenda forward.
Labour MP Yvette Cooper, who chaired the House of Commons
Home Affairs Committee in the last parliament, said: “Social media companies
like YouTube have been getting away with a dangerous and irresponsible approach
to extremism for too long.
“Still today YouTube is showing illegal propaganda videos
for banned jihadi and neo-Nazi extremists. They have a disgraceful disregard
for the law.
“The cross-party Home Affairs Select Committee called for
a system of fines and stronger legislation. So if that is what the British and
French governments are working on now, that is really welcome.
“They need to make rapid progress, because online
radicalisation is a very serious threat, and this problem has been growing for
a long time.”
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