The Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) set up by Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube to counter the threat of terrorist content online is to hold its first meeting on 01 August in San Francisco. In addition to the founding companies, more than two dozen other technology companies and NGOs will be taking part in the meeting that will also see the participation of UK home secretary Amber Rudd and US acting secretary of homeland security Elaine Duke, as well as representatives from Australia, Canada, the European Union and the United Nations.
In a statement, the tech firms said the mission of GIFCT is to substantially disrupt terrorists' ability to use the internet in furthering their causes by addressing the promotion of terrorism, dissemination of propaganda and the exploitation of real-world terrorist events through online platforms. To achieve this, the firms will join forces with smaller tech companies, civil society groups and governments around three strategies: employing and leveraging technology; sharing knowledge, information and best practices; and conducting and funding research.
In the next several months, the forum is also aiming to secure the participation of five additional companies to the industry hash-sharing database for violent terrorist imagery. Two of these – Snap Inc. and Justpaste.it – have already joined. It also wants to reach 50 companies to share best practices on how to counter terrorism online and conduct four knowledge-sharing workshops — starting in San Francisco – with plans for further meetings later this year in other locations around the world.
