Tech Companies Deny They're A 'Safe Space' For Terrorists

Internet companies like Twitter have fired back against the claim that they offer a "safe space" for terrorists. Just after the London terrorist attack, UK prime minister Theresa May said more internet regulations were needed to remove the "safe spaces" offered by tech companies.

Google, Facebook, and Twitter rejected that characterization of their services. They've all implemented measures specifically meant to combat terrorist and extremist activity. While not perfect, those measures have made a difference.

Using a combination of technology and human review, we work aggressively to remove terrorist content from our platform as soon as we become aware of it -- and if we become aware of an emergency involving imminent harm to someone's safety, we notify law enforcement.- Twitter

Privacy and security advocates are already worried about May's call for greater internet regulations.

If successful, Theresa May could push these vile networks into even darker corners of the web, where they will be even harder to observe.

But we should not be distracted: the Internet and companies like Facebook are not a cause of this hatred and violence, but tools that can be abused. While governments and companies should take sensible measures to stop abuse, attempts to control the Internet is not the simple solution that Theresa May is claiming.- Jim Killock, executive director, Open Rights Group