Google to provide free terrorism moderation software for smaller websites

According to reports in The Financial Times, Google is developing free content moderation software to help smaller sites monitor and remove terrorist material.

The news comes as new anti-extremism measures are being put in place by the European Union.

The new tool, which is being built via a partnership between Google’s Jigsaw R&D arm and United Nations-backed Tech Against Terrorism, is intended to help smaller companies, with fewer resources, avoid penalties imposed by the EU's Digital Services Act.

The tool will use a database of suspected terrorist content collected by the non-profit Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism, which was formed by Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube in 2017.

The Digital Services Act requires websites and platforms to remove terrorist content within one hour after receiving a removal order or face a fine.

Speaking to Gizmodo, a Google spokesperson said: “Terrorism is an attack on open societies, and addressing the threat posed by violence and hate is a critical challenge for us all. Jigsaw and Tech Against Terrorism, in collaboration with the the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), are working to develop a new web app that enables small and medium-sized platforms to triage and action on URLs and hashes that exist in counter-terrorism databases.

“This coalition of partners will invest in researching ways to support small and medium sized platforms in curbing the spread of violent extremist content.”

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