Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and YouTube join forces in fight against online extremism

midian182

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Despite the launch of several initiatives over the years, many tech firms still face criticism for not doing enough to remove terrorist content from their respective platforms. Now, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and YouTube have joined forces in the hope of tackling the problem.

The four industry giants have announced the formation of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism. The collaboration aims to make it easier for members to work together and share technological solutions, such as the use of AI and machine learning, while exchanging best practices for removing terrorist material, developing new content detection techniques, and “define standard transparency reporting methods for terrorist content removals.”

"The spread of terrorism and violent extremism is a pressing global problem and a critical challenge for us all. We take these issues very seriously, and each of our companies have developed policies and removal practices that enable us to take a hard line against terrorist or violent extremist content on our hosted consumer services," wrote the group. "We believe that by working together, sharing the best technological and operational elements of our individual efforts, we can have a greater impact on the threat of terrorist content online."

The forum believes co-operation is the key in the fight against extremist material. It will be working with governments, civil groups, academics, and other companies to “identify how best to counter extremism and online hate, while respecting freedom of expression and privacy.”

The group builds on other joint initiatives, including the EU Internet Forum and the Shared Industry Hash Database, which consists of a shared database of unique digital “fingerprints.”

Earlier this month, the first in Facebook’s series of “Hard Questions” blog posts examined how it deals with the extremist material that appears on the social network. The company revealed it had started using AI to combat the problem, and has a team of over 150 people dedicated to countering terrorism.

Following several recent terrorist attacks in the UK, the spotlight has once again fallen on tech firms' perceived lack of action. The incidents led to British Prime Minister Theresa May accusing the companies of giving terrorism “the safe space it needs to breed,” and calling for the internet to be regulated.

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"The spread of terrorism and violent extremism is a pressing global problem and a critical challenge for us all. We take these issues very seriously, and each of our companies have developed policies and removal practices that enable us to take a hard line against terrorist or violent extremist content on our hosted consumer services,"

...except for when taking these issues seriously could potentially impact your visa hiring, prompting you all to demand inclusiveness and diversity.

If you want to solve a production problem you solve it at the start of the process, not at the post office. Tech firms don't understand this because they solve all of their problems long after the product has been delivered.
 
"The spread of terrorism and violent extremism is a pressing global problem and a critical challenge for us all. We take these issues very seriously, and each of our companies have developed policies and removal practices that enable us to take a hard line against terrorist or violent extremist content on our hosted consumer services,"

...except for when taking these issues seriously could potentially impact your visa hiring, prompting you all to demand inclusiveness and diversity.

If you want to solve a production problem you solve it at the start of the process, not at the post office. Tech firms don't understand this because they solve all of their problems long after the product has been delivered.

Ahh yes, all those terrorists with H1B visas. I forgot about those.

I'm no fan of companies hiring overseas labor just so they can pay them less, but at least think before you speak next time. Hiring practices are a labor issue, not a national security issue.
 
"The spread of terrorism and violent extremism is a pressing global problem and a critical challenge for us all. We take these issues very seriously, and each of our companies have developed policies and removal practices that enable us to take a hard line against terrorist or violent extremist content on our hosted consumer services,"

...except for when taking these issues seriously could potentially impact your visa hiring, prompting you all to demand inclusiveness and diversity.

If you want to solve a production problem you solve it at the start of the process, not at the post office. Tech firms don't understand this because they solve all of their problems long after the product has been delivered.

Even if we make some assumptions here, according to the republicans a business should be able to do whatever it wants with it's product / services. Unless you are going to sit here saying they really meant "select businesses that serve our political interests" I think you should just sit back and enjoy your "free market".
 
Articles such as this one are as common as seeing articles on giant leaps in battery technology. All these companies come together to talk about what could and should be done but nothing of any substance ever transpires. They always say their goals are aligned but in fact, they're not really. It's every company for themselves out there and what suits one doesn't suit the others so they're always at an impasse. Their technologies might move at the speed of light but their methods haven't budged an inch since the invention of mankind, literally.
 
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It's just lip service. These firms work for the same people that fund and perpetuate and train the so-called "terrorists" as well. It's not like they're going to butt heads with Langley any time soon, since they are just the business form of it already. Kinda sweet how they got surveillance devices in everyone's pockets while making us pay for them and even WANT them, right? Gotta hand it to these types.
 
Ahh yes, all those terrorists with H1B visas. I forgot about those.

I'm no fan of companies hiring overseas labor just so they can pay them less, but at least think before you speak next time. Hiring practices are a labor issue, not a national security issue.

Further responses in this thread will be ignored. Reason: failing to follow your own advice.

Even if we make some assumptions here, according to the republicans a business should be able to do whatever it wants with it's product / services. Unless you are going to sit here saying they really meant "select businesses that serve our political interests" I think you should just sit back and enjoy your "free market".

Republicans are just Democrats without the brazen disregard for appearances. Why would I care what they have to say about anything? Of course they mean "select businesses that serve our political interests." That's why we cheered on the immolation of their entire platform in 2016.
 
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