Major technology companies said Thursday they will take new steps to combat online extremism by removing more violent content and promoting media literacy among young users, as part of a White House summit on combating hate violence.
Platforms like Alphabet’s YouTube and Meta Platforms’ Facebook have come under fire for years from critics who say the companies have allowed hateful and violent rhetoric on their services.
US President Joe Biden urged Americans to fight racism and extremism earlier Thursday during a White House summit that brought together experts and survivors, as well as bipartisan local leaders.
YouTube said it would expand its policy on countering violent extremism by removing content that glorifies acts of violence, even if the video’s creators are not affiliated with a terrorist organization.
The video streaming site said it will also launch a media literacy campaign to teach young users to spot manipulation tactics used to spread misinformation.
Microsoft said it will make a basic and more accessible version of its artificial intelligence and machine learning tools available to schools and small organizations to help them detect and prevent violence.
Facebook owner Meta has announced a collaboration with researchers from the Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies.
Last year, lawmakers debated the executives of Alphabet and Facebook, as well as Twitter Inc, over whether their companies bear any responsibility for the events that led to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
