British PM urges social media to act on abuse

DAVOS: British Prime Minister Theresa May will encourage activist investors on Thursday to pressure social media firms into clamping down on fake news, hate speech and sexual harassment. “Investors can make a big difference here by ensuring trust and safety issues are being properly considered. And I urge them to do so,” she will say in a speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos. She will highlight how a group of shareholders recently demanded Facebook and Twitter “disclose more information about sexual harassment, fake news, hate speech and other forms of abuse that take place on the companies’ platforms”.

May will say that smaller media platforms also need to act, according to extracts of her speech released by her office in London. “Smaller platforms can quickly become home to criminals and terrorists. We have seen that happen with Telegram,” May will say. “And we need to see more co-operation from smaller platforms like this. No-one wants to be known as ‘the terrorists’ platform’ or the first choice app for paedophiles.”

Her call comes as part of a broader push for international action against online extremism, which May took last year to the G7 and the United Nations General Assembly. In Davos, she will say that big technology firms have made progress in dealing with harmful and illegal online activity, but must do more. She will chair a meeting with technology companies including Siemens, Cisco and IBM, to discuss their role in ensuring the “responsible use of the internet”, her spokesman said.