LONDON: The UK government is going to ask social networking sites including Twitter, YouTube and Facebook to hand over more information about extremists posting propaganda online.
The Downing Street policy chiefs and CEO of major social networking sites will meet to discuss the procedures to hand over a range of data including IP addresses, emails and names about individuals posting suspect content online from Islamic states group and other terrorist outlets.
The information would include not only illegal material (such as bomb-making instructions or direct calls to launch terror attacks) but also inflammatory videos and texts that do not necessarily break the law but that could contribute to the radicalization of vulnerable British Muslims.
Although these sites currently police their users and remove material that breaks anti-terror laws, they only hand over information to the police if it is specifically requested as part of an ongoing investigation.
The government wanted this process to become automatic. If Twitter or YouTube removes a propaganda video created by Islamic State (Isis) then they should immediately send information about the user that posted it to the police, Tory advisers will urge.
Sources said that great deal of progress has been made to take down illegal material online and we want to work collaboratively with search engines and ISPs to look at what more can be done to swiftly remove extremist and terrorist material.
