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Europe asks social networks to remove terrorist content within an hour
The European Commission published new guidelines for social networks today and among them is a request for these sites to remove reported terrorist content within one hour. In 2016, the Commission called for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft to put a more concerted effort into removing hate speech from their platforms and since then, it has been fairly pleased with the companies' improvements. Last June, the four companies together were able to review 51 percent of hate speech reports within 24 hours and in January, the Commission reported that their rate had bumped up to 81 percent. But the Commission is concerned about terrorist content in particular and is now asking these companies for an even quicker turnaround when reviewing this type of material.
UK government has its own AI for detecting extremist videos
Stemming the tide of extremist online content has been a major focus for tech giants in recent times, but despite their efforts, the UK parliament has condemned companies such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for "consciously failing" to take robust enough action. To mitigate the problem, the Home Office has developed its own AI program that can detect Islamic State (IS) propaganda online with a 99.99 percent success rate.
Appeals court throws out case blaming Twitter for ISIS attacks
A woman suing Twitter for allowing ISIS activity on its website has had her case thrown out by a federal appeals court in San Francisco. The court ruled that Twitter Inc is not liable to families of two US government contractors killed in an Islamic State attack in Jordan for its failure to block ISIS from using its messaging services.
Facebook and Google will testify to Senate over terrorist content
It's not just European countries who aren't satisfied with internet giants' ability to curb online terrorist content. The US Senate has summoned Facebook, Google (or rather, Alphabet) and Twitter to testify at a January 17th Commerce Committee hearing that will "examine the steps" social networks have been taking to fight the spread of online extremist material. All three have agreed to testify and will send their policy leaders. We've asked them if they can comment on the upcoming testimony and will let you know if they can hint at what they'll say.
UK may tax internet giants to get more help fighting online extremism
The UK still isn't convinced that internet giants are doing enough to curb online extremism, and it's now considering hitting those companies where it really hurts: their bank accounts. In an interview with the Sunday Times, security minister Ben Wallace said the country should use taxes to either incentivize stronger anti-extremist efforts or compensate for "inaction." While Wallace didn't go into detail as to what he'd like, the Times suggested it would be a windfall-based tax that targeted companies' large profits.
YouTube bans all videos from an extremist cleric
YouTube's efforts to catch and take down terrorist videos include some far-reaching measures. The New York Times has learned that YouTube recently removed and blocked all videos from Anwar al-Awlaki, a cleric who turned extremist and was killed by an American drone strike in 2011. While it's only his later clips that technically run afoul of YouTube guidelines, the streaming giant determined that all of them ultimately had to go. Supporters of his terrorist cause have reposted his moderate material in a show of support -- getting rid of everything theoretically prevents these adherents from finding something to rally around.
Twitter suspended over 935,000 terror-related accounts since 2015
In a blog post today about its twice yearly Transparency Report, Twitter outlined some numbers regarding its actions against accounts linked to terrorism. Those include accounts that "actively incite or promote violence associated with internationally recognized terrorist organizations, promote internationally recognized terrorist organizations, and accounts attempting to evade prior enforcement."
Dell founder offers low-key response to Charlottesville violence
Tech giants like Apple and Intel have vocally opposed both the racist violence in Charlottesville and President Trump's equivocating response to it, but former manufacturing council member Dell has remained silent. Where's its statement? Well, company founder Michael Dell has finally spoken. The CEO has sent a brief email to employees condemning both the Charlottesville violence and the terrorist attack in Barcelona, but in generic terms. His message declares that "hate is evil" and stresses that Dell is a company where "everyone is welcome," pointing to the company's culture code. And... that's it.
YouTube will isolate offensive videos that don't violate policies
YouTube has been working on ways to manage offensive and extremist content that do and do not violate its policies, and some steps it has taken include AI-assisted video detection and removal as well as input from more experts. Today, in a blog post, the company provided more detail about its ongoing efforts.
Facebook and Twitter hold anti-extremism alliance summit
The quartet of web giants that make up the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) are holding their inaugural meeting today. Formed in June by Twitter, Facebook, Microsoft and Google, the initiative aims to leverage technology -- such as the shared industry hash database and machine vision-based detection -- to stamp out extremist imagery online. In attendance will be UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd and the US Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke, along with EU and UN representatives.
YouTube will redirect you away from extremist videos
Last month, Google steps it would take to help stamp out extremism and terrorism-related content online. Today, the company is announcing a new initiative on YouTube to help guide people away from terrorism propaganda videos and steer them towards content that debunks extremist messaging and mythology. It's appropriately called the Redirect Method, because it essentially redirects users searching for specific keywords on YouTube to playlists featuring videos that counter extremist content.
America is driving gun sales on the dark web
Sixty percent of all the weapons sold on the dark web are smuggled out of the US, according to research from the RAND Corporation. It, along with the University of Manchester, began investigating the illegal trade in firearms, explosives and ammunition available on Silk Road-esque marketplaces. The pair believe that sellers are making a killing by buying guns in the US and shipping them to Europe, where prices are higher.
US lifts laptop ban from final Middle Eastern airline (updated)
If you're a business traveller who wants to use your laptop on a flight originating in the Middle East, things are looking up. The US started to lift restrictions for passengers carrying large electronics like laptops on flights originating in the Middle East earlier this month, including lifting the ban at Abu Dhabi airport, and exempting Emirates and Turkish Airlines from the ban. Now, according to a report by Reuters, the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has finally lifted the laptop ban on inbound passengers on Saudi Arabian Airlines, the final airline to be under restriction.
US lifts laptop ban at Abu Dhabi airport
The US is scaling back its ban on laptops for Middle Eastern flights headed to the US... though it's not because officials believe everything is safe. The Department of Homeland Security has exempted Abu Dhabi International Airport from the ban (which also covers tablets) after verifying that Etihad Airways has properly implemented "enhanced security measures." While the agency isn't clear about what those are, they include tighter screening for both people and the devices they carry aboard.
Australia wants governments to decrypt terrorists’ secure messages
This week, the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand -- the "Five Eyes" alliance -- will meet in Ottawa, Canada, to discuss protecting borders and best practices for combatting terrorism. Yesterday, Australia announced they wanted to add something to the agenda: a push for tech companies to give governments more access to secure communication used by terrorists.
Google bets AI and human oversight will curb online extremism
Google is under a lot of pressure to stamp out extremists' online presences, and it's responding to that heat today. The internet giant has outlined four steps it's taking to flag and remove pro-terrorism content on its pages, particularly on YouTube. Technological improvements play a role, of course, but the company is also counting on a human element that will catch what its automated filters can't.
Facebook showed terrorists the profiles of people moderating them
Have you ever wondered who takes on the grueling, unforgiving task of combing Facebook's groups and personal profiles for terrorist activity? Meet Community Operations workers, who are often paid low wages for highly specialized and difficult work. And now, the job has become even less appealing: It turns out that a bug inadvertently exposed the personal Facebook profiles of those moderating these violent graphic images to terrorists.
France and the UK pressure internet companies to fight extremism
The British and French have already made separate efforts to limit extremists' online presences, but they now believe they can accomplish more by working together. The two nations have unveiled a joint campaign to prevent extremists from using the internet as a "safe space." They're vowing to pressure tech firms into doing more (such as better automatic removal tools), and are "exploring the possibility" of fines and other legal penalties if those companies don't pull offending material.
Apple is assisting the UK in terror investigations
Apple chief executive Tim Cook has confirmed his company is working with UK authorities as part of their investigations into terrorist incidents. In an interview with Bloomberg, Cook said Apple was cooperating "not only in law enforcement kind of matters, but on some of the attacks." He stressed that he "cannot speak on detail," given some investigations are active, but mentioned that "in cases when we have information and they have gone through the lawful process, we don't just give it but we do it very promptly."
US may not ban laptops on European flights after all
European and American officials met over a laptop ban proposed by the Trump administration, and sources have told the Associate Press that it's "off the table" for now. While the ban has been voted down for now, officials are reportedly considering other measures, including wide intelligence sharing, and plan to meet again next week.
