The leaders of several nations, including New Zealand and France, have expressed their support for a watchdog organization aimed at securing online platforms against extremists.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the Global Forum to Counter Terrorism, which was established in 2017 by Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube after terrorist attacks with internet links, is being transformed into an independent organization. Arden pointed out that the independent watchdog against extremists is limited to companies operating online platforms and services and will be led by an executive director picked by its governing industry-linked Operating Board.
The Operating Board will receive guidance from an Independent Advisory Committee with a majority of members from civil society and a minority from government and inter-governmental organizations.
Ardern claimed that the organization's establishment represents “a real sea change to respond to the serious and difficult issue” of extremists who use the Internet to recruit supporters and stream attacks. The initiative follows the killings of 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 15, which were broadcast live on Facebook.
Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, the current chair of the forum, said “We’ve shared more than 200,000 digital fingerprints with our partners, because when terrorists try to use one platform, they try to use all platforms. And when one of us find them, we can take them down off multiple platforms.”
The so-called “Christchurch Call” commitment to combat terrorist and extremist content online was signed by 20 global leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, at Paris event in May.
Ardern added “We’re trying to create a civil defense-style mechanism. The same way we respond to natural emergencies like fires and floods, we need to be prepared and ready to respond to a crisis like the one we experienced.”
The US hasn not joined the initiative due to privacy concerns.
