No terror tip-offs to police from web giants

SOCIAL media giants have not given British police a single tip- off over terrorist material on their websites.

Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter are allowing jihadists to ‘act with impunity’ by uploading beheading videos and bombmaking manuals, the country’s most senior counter-terror officer said yesterday.

The internet companies have not made any direct referrals to the police about extreme content, even though it has inspired deadly attacks. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, the outgoing chief of counter-terror policing, said they are threatening public safety to maximise ‘profit and customer satisfaction’.

Web giants face calls to tighten online security after Britain was hit by five attacks in London and Manchester last year. All of them had an online component. Mr Rowley told a conference in London that social media firms should work with police in the same way banks had been made to co-operate on tracing dirty money.

Twitter said 95 per cent of terrorist content was removed proactively using its own purpose-built technology and 75 per cent of such accounts were suspended before their first tweet.