YouTube, Facebook, others beef up industry body to fight extremism

Social media companies led by Facebook said Monday y were ramping up an industry body that aims to weed out extremist content, seeking to put procedures in place globally on how to handle crises. Facebook anunced ditional efforts at United Nations during a meeting with New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has taken up cause of fighting online extremism after a March massacre by a white supremacist at two mosques in Christchurch.

"We are trying to create a civil defence-style mechanism. same way we respond to natural emergencies like fires and floods, we need to be prepared and rey to respond to a crisis like one we experienced," she told reporters.

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After effect of Christchurch attack

Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and YouTube in 2017 formed Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism, a vaguely conceived alliance tasked with tackling most dangerous material on social media. But tech companies came under renewed criticism after bloodbath in Christchurch, where assailant posted a manifesto online and n live-streamed his killing of 51 worshippers. Appearing with New Zealand leer, Facebook's chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg said company took down 1.5 million potential views of grisly video -- 1.2 million before anyone h chance to look.

" gap between 1.2 and 1.5 is where we ackwledge we need to do better," Sandberg said. "We can't wait until a moment like this happens again. We need to do hard work w, to establish systems and protocols and cooperations" among countries and companies, she said.

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President Emmanuel Macron of France, which has faced challenges combating militants inspired by Islamic State movement, has teamed up with Ardern on so-called "Christchurch Call."  He co-chaired a meeting with Ardern on latest efforts as y both attended United Nations General Assembly. Under Monday's anuncement, Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism will be considered an independent body and enjoy a dedicated staff under an executive director. While industry will le forum's operating board, n-governmental groups will he an visory board. governments of United States, France, Britain, Cana, New Zealand and Japan will also play an visory role, along with UN and European Union experts.

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Facebook said forum would fund research on how best to prevent incitements to violence online and how to reduce effects on social media when attacks occur. forum will still amount to a voluntary effort by tech companies to police mselves. Government regulation is anama for major US tech companies and ir libertarian-minded philosophy, although a growing number of countries outside West have sought to force social media platforms to censor unwanted content. Ardern indicated she h intention of seeking new regulations, which she said me little sense when pursuing ideas such as steering social media users away from extremist material to alternative, curated content.

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"If we want greatest gains, we actually need to collaborate," she said. "re is thing we h seen, even at this point several months on, that has ever suggested to me that any of se tech companies h an interest in providing a platform for hatred and violence," she said.