Social media firms lashed again by MPs over antisemitism

Social networks today insisted they are helping in the fight against radicalisation online after they were hauled before MPs over anti-Semitic and abusive posts.

Bosses from Twitter, Facebook and Google were grilled by the Home Affairs Select Committee today and faced charges they were not doing enough to tackle dangers online.

But the firms hit back at claims their applications were the source of problems.  

Executives from Twitter, Facebook and Google (pictured) were hauled before the Home Affairs Select Committee today to explain how they were tackling the problem. Pictured from left are Google vice president Dr Nicklas Berild Lundblad, Twitter’s vice president for public policy and communications in Europe, the Middle East and Africa Sinead McSweeney, and Facebook’s director for public policy Simon Milner

Facebook's public policy director Simon Milner said the platform was helping authorities to understand radicalisation online 

Facebook’s public policy director Simon Milner said the platform was helping authorities to understand radicalisation online 

Chairwoman Yvette Cooper said algorithms on the platforms risked fuelling radicalisation by serving up more and more content to people who start looking for it.

She said: ‘You are linking people, once they go on one slightly dodgy thing, you are linking them to an awful lot of other similar things, whether that be racist extremism, whether that be Islamist extremism, your technology is doing that job and you’re not stopping it from doing so.’ 

Facebook’s policy director Simon Milner said his site was actively working with communities to tackle radicalisation online.

‘I disagree that that’s what the technology is doing, but I do recognise we have a shared problem with the police, with yourselves, with civil society organisations,’ he said.

‘That’s one of the reasons that we’ve established our Online Civil Courage Initiative here in the UK to really understand that phenomenon, and to see what we should be doing using our technology and our people and our expertise, but also how we can support other organisations as they use our platforms.’

The initiative was launched in June and aims to work with charities and other organisations to help them identify and respond to extremism.

‘So, it’s unfortunate when those things happen, there are definitely things that we are doing now, but there is much more to be done by our company certainly,’ Mr Milner said.

Chairwoman Yvette Cooper (pictured during today's committee) demanded to know why action had not already been taken following earlier investigations into abusive posts.

Chairwoman Yvette Cooper (pictured during today’s committee) demanded to know why action had not already been taken following earlier investigations into abusive posts.

FACEBOOK SAY IT IS ‘NOT SIMPLE’ TO BAN BRITAIN FIRST 

Banning Britain First from Facebook is more complex than it appears, an executive from the social network warned today.

Public Policy Director Simon Milner was challenged to explain why the far right group – controversially endorsed by Donald Trump – had not been barred for spewing hate. 

He was told at the Home Affairs Committee today that Facebook must ‘accelerate’ work on offensive content.

Mr Milner told the committee: ‘It’s not a simple answer.

‘With Britain First, up until recently, they were a registered political party that have had people running in elections in the UK.

‘So they were deemed by the authorities to be legitimate in that respect.

‘However, there are clearly issues with their page on Facebook. There’s been a number of pieces of content taken down.

‘We are obviously reviewing it but we are very, very cautious about political speech.’

In her questions, Ms Cooper demanded to know why action had not already been on taken following earlier investigations into abusive posts. 

Highlighting a series of anti-Semitic tweets she had reported but which had not been deleted, Ms Cooper demanded: ‘What is it that we have got to do to get you to take it down?’

The new appearance by the executives is the latest in a series of Commons grillings for the firms. 

The hearing is taking place the day after Twitter suspended a number of accounts, including that of Britain First’s deputy leader Jayda Fransen, who gained notoriety when three anti-Muslim videos she posted were retweeted by US president Donald Trump.

Other accounts which appear to have been suspended for violating the new rules are @BritainFirstHQ and that of leader Paul Golding, @Goldingbf.

Ms Cooper said no action had been taken against anti-Semitic tweets shown to representatives of Twitter at a previous hearing.

They included abuse directed at Labour MP Luciana Berger, who has been a high-profile target of online trolling, which has already been flagged to the platform twice.

Twitter's Sinead McSweeney admitted she did not know why the tweets remained despite being reported as abusive 

Twitter’s Sinead McSweeney admitted she did not know why the tweets remained despite being reported as abusive 

Addressing Twitter’s Sinead McSweeney, vice president of public policy and communication for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (Emea), Ms Cooper said: ‘I’m kind of wondering what we have to do.

TWITTER BANNED BRITAIN FIRST ON THE EVE OF COMMONS HEARING 

The leaders of far-right group Britain First were among the first in the UK to have their Twitter accounts suspended in a new crackdown by the social network.

Among the accounts to be suspended is that of deputy leader Jayda Fransen, who gained notoriety when three anti-Muslim videos she posted were retweeted by US President Donald Trump.

Those videos, which could be viewed by the president’s 40-plus million followers, have now disappeared from his timeline.

It coincides with the platform enforcing new rules and guidelines designed to make Twitter a ‘safer environment’. 

Other accounts which appear to have been suspended for violating the new rules are @BritainFirstHQ and that of leader Paul Golding, @Goldingbf.

All three accounts are listed on the Britain First website as ‘official accounts’.  

‘We sat in this committee in a public hearing and raised a clearly vile anti-Semitic tweet with your organisation.

‘It was discussed and it is still there, and everybody accepted, you’ve accepted, your predecessor accepted, that it was unacceptable. But it is still there on the platform.

‘What is it that we have got to do to get you to take it down?’

She added: ‘And part of the problem is, it’s like even when we raise it in a forum like this, nothing happens.

‘It’s very hard for us to believe that enough is being done when everybody else across the country raises concerns.’ 

Ms McSweeney said she did not know why the tweets remained, adding: ‘I will come back to you with an answer as to why they are still on the platform.’

Ms Cooper said her office had also reported a series of violent tweets – including threats against Theresa May and racist abuse towards shadow home secretary Diane Abbott – which had not been taken down.

She disputed Ms McSweeney’s suggestion that offensive tweets would normally be removed from the site within two days of being reported.

Ms Cooper said: ‘The problem is, that is just not people’s experience at all.

‘Instead people’s experience is reporting a whole series of things and just getting no response at all, and including victims of serious abuse and hate crime, also reporting them and getting no response at all.’

The hearing is taking place the day after Twitter suspended a number of accounts, including that of Britain First's deputy leader Jayda Fransen

The hearing is taking place the day after Twitter suspended a number of accounts, including that of Britain First’s deputy leader Jayda Fransen

Labour MP Stephen Doughty accused Twitter of being an organisation that either ‘can’t cope or doesn’t care’.

‘I could not work for people I did not respect,’ Ms McSweeney replied.

She added: ‘I believe out teams want to make the internet a better place.’

In response to Ms McSweeney’s suggestion that addressing hate was ‘not a simple problem in society’, Conservative MP Tim Loughton accused the site of inciting violence through inaction.

‘This is not about taking away somebody’s rights to criticise somebody whose politics they don’t agree with,’ he said.

‘It’s about not providing a platform – whatever the ills of society you want to blame it on – for placing stuff that incites people to kill, harm, maim, incite violence against people because of their political beliefs in this case.

‘Frankly, saying ‘this is a problem with society’ – you can do something about it. You are profiting from the fact that people use your platforms and you are profiting I’m afraid from the fact that people are using your platforms to further the ills of society and you’re allowing them to do it and doing very little, proactively to prevent them.’

It comes after Labour suggested social media companies should face ‘punitive’ fines for failing to react quickly to offensive material that incites hatred and violence. 



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