Jacinda Ardern to lead global attempt to shutdown social media terrorism
24 Apr, 2019 7:57am
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron will next month co-chair a meeting in Paris aimed at addressing how social media plays a part in promoting terrorism.
The meeting on May 15 – two months after the Christchurch terror attacks which claimed the lives of 50 people – aims to see world leaders and tech company bosses agreed to the 'Christchurch call' – a pledge to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online.
"The March 15 terrorist attacks saw social media used in an unprecedented way as a tool to promote an act of terrorism and hate," Ardern said this morning.
"We are asking for a show of leadership to ensure social media cannot be used again the way it was in the March 15 terrorist attack."
Ardern called on leaders of tech companies to help achieve the goal of eliminating extremism online at the Christchurch Summit in Paris.
"We all need to act, and that includes social media providers taking more responsibility for the content that is on their platforms, and taking action so that violent extremist content cannot be published and shared."
Following the Christchurch shootings, Ardern has been working towards a global co-ordinated response that would make the likes of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter more responsible for the content they host.
Ardern spoke specifically today about Facebook, saying it is critical that it is not perverted as a tool for terrorism.
Instead, she said, Facebook should become part of what she called a global solution to countering extremism.
"This meeting presents an opportunity for an act of unity between governments and the tech companies."
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