(MENAFN- ProactiveInvestors - N.America)
Most companies need to be protected from risks posed by terrorism but some firms are the ones being accused of not pulling their own weight. Three of the most influential social media networks have become tarnished with accusations that they are recruitment platforms for terrorists.
Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) are deliberately failing to stop terrorists from using their websites to promote terrorism because they believe it will "damage their brands", British lawmakers have warned.
In a report released Thursday by the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee, the legislators said the companies' platforms were the 'vehicle of choice in spreading propaganda and they have become the recruiting platforms for terrorism.'
'There must be a zero-tolerance approach to online extremism, including enticement to join extremist groups or commit attacks of terror and any glorification of such activities,' the panel wrote.
MPs said it was 'alarming' that websites are policing billions of accounts and messages with just a "few hundred" employees.
The parliamentary select committee accused US technology giants including Google, Facebook and Twitter of "passing the buck"
They highlighted the fact that Twitter and Youtube – the latter owned by Google - refused to remove posts by Anjem Choudary, the hate preacher convicting of supporting terror group ISIS last week, despite repeated requests by the British police.
It calls on the companies to publish quarterly statistics showing how many sites they have taken down.
But all three companies deny they are passing the buck and not doing anything about it.
Twitter, in particular, was astonished by the accusations, having only a week ago today declared that it had suspended an additional 235,000 accounts since February for violating policies related to violent threats and promotion of terrorism.
Total suspensions related to violence and terror are now at 360,000 since the middle of 2015, with daily suspensions up 80 percent since last year, Twitter said, thanks in part to proprietary "spam-fighting" tools.
Rival network Facebook has also said it has a "hard line" toward terrorism and terrorists and earlier this year it removed a profile of San Bernardino shooter Tashfeen Malik. The company also, for instance, restricted 32,100 instances of a photo depicting terror victims in Paris.
The Twitter statistics followed criticism of the micro-blogging site earlier this year for its free-speech ideals which allowed celebrities to be harassed online.
Facebook shares were up 0.5% at $124.04, Twitter up 0.4% at $18.32, but Google owner Alphabet Inc shares were down 0.3% to $791.39 on Thursday.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.