Anti-terror chief’s blast at social media

BRITAIN’S top anti-terror chief has blasted social media giants for failing to give police a single tip-off about extremists operating online.

Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley called the “very wealthy corporations” the online equivalent of landlords with extremist “tenants”.

He said that “in the real world” landlords would be expected to alert the authorities and evict those planning or inspiring attacks.

But instead, fanatics were being allowed to “encourage, direct, enable and promote terrorist attacks with the click of a mouse or tap of a screen”. The police chief said extremists were using some online sites with impunity.

Despite admitting that social media firms provide “great support” when it comes to individual inquiries, Mr Rowley said: “When social media companies come across suspicious behaviour, they don’t report it to us. They clean it off their sites but don’t report it to us.

“Maybe months later, we discover about some dangerous person but we could have been tipped off previously.”

He added: “I am disappointed that in the UK, we are yet to receive a direct referral from them when identified such behaviour.

“We urge the private sector to think in more than terms of profits and customer satisfaction but also to consider the wider implication of their considerable role and influence in society and how that impacts on the safety of the public.”

The counter-terror chief, who retires this month, was speaking to security industry delegates in London.

His successor is Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu. they have