World Economic Forum: Tech firms must do more on extremism

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US tech firms such as Facebook and Twitter should be more aggressive in tackling extremism and political misinformation if they want to avoid government action, a report from the World Economic Forum said on Monday.

US tech firms are asked to be more aggressive in tackling extremism and political misinformation. /Reuters Photo

The study from the Swiss nonprofit organization adds to a chorus of calls for Silicon Valley to stem the spread of violent material from ISIL militants and the use of their services by alleged Russian propagandists.

Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet’s Google will go under the microscope of US lawmakers on Tuesday and Wednesday when their general counsels will testify before three US congressional committees on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

Theresa May believes Facebook and others are not doing enough and wants tech firms to block users who post extremist content. /Reuters Photo

The study recommends that the companies conduct more thorough internal reviews of how their services can be misused and that they put in place more human oversight of content.

Mourners leave flowers near Borough Market in London on June 4, 2017 after a deadly attack the night before. /Reuters Photo

The German parliament in June approved a plan to fine social media networks up to 50 million euros (about 58 million US dollars) if they fail to remove hateful postings promptly, a law that Monday’s study said could potentially lead to the takedown of massive amounts of content.

Source(s): Reuters