Web giants snub anti-terror talks

INTERNET giants are under fire for snubbing a meeting to tackle extremist material and child abuse on their websites.

The ‘Five Eyes’ nations – Britain, the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand – had invited ‘digital industry leaders’ to a summit on Australia’s Gold Coast to discuss removing terrorist content, such as beheading and bomb-making videos, but the tech experts refused to attend.

Last night Home Secretary Sajid Javid and his international counterparts condemned the internet firms, thought to include Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and Google, and expressed ‘disappointment senior digital industry leaders did not engage on critical issues particularly online sexual exploitation of children’.

Tech firms have faced calls to step up efforts to detect and take down terrorrelated web content after Britain was hit by four strikes in London and Manchester in three months last year.

Ministers are concerned jihadist propaganda and terrorism guides can be accessed online with just a few clicks.