UK PM Theresa May is to urge G7 leaders to ask that tech firms such as Google and Facebook do more to combat extremist content online.
According to the The Guardian, May will say the fight against Islamic State is changing from “the battlefield to the internet” during today’s G7 Summit.
The PM is expected to tell other world leaders gathered in Sicily (Italy) that every nation should encourage technology firms to block users posting extremist content as well as reporting individuals if there’s evidence to suggest an imminent threat.
May believes greater collaboration and cooperation between key countries could push social media tech giants to develop tools in order to identify and subsequently remove harmful content posted on their platforms.
Additionally, the PM hopes this increased cooperation will eventually mean that social media companies will be able to alert the authorities if and when harmful material emerges so that appropriate action is taken.
May would also like to see tech firms revising the current conditions and industry guidelines to clarify what is defined as harmful material.
It’s believed many of May’s proposals reflect ongoing concerns about Facebook’s moderation policy, which was exposed after the firm’s social media training manuals were leaked to The Guardian.
The news comes days after a bombing in Manchester killed 22 people, including seven children, and injured more than 100.