Federal Officials, Industry Execs Meet on Combating Terrorists' Social Media Use
Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and other federal officials were still meeting with executives from Google, Twitter and other tech companies at our deadline Friday to push those companies to improve their methods of combating…
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terrorists’ use of social media as a propaganda and recruitment tool. The meeting in San Jose, California, began at 11 a.m. PST, an industry lobbyist told us. Several communications and Internet industry trade groups confirmed that trade associations weren't participating in the meeting. Spokesmen for Google and Twitter confirmed their firms’ involvement but didn’t comment on what would be discussed during the meeting. Executives from more than a dozen tech companies were invited, an industry lobbyist said. Federal officials planned to discuss how to “make it harder for terrorists” to use the Internet “to recruit, radicalize and mobilize followers to violence,” and how the U.S. “can help others to create, publish and amplify alternative content that would undercut” the Islamic State group, said an agenda we obtained. Federal officials also planned to discuss ways to “use technology to help disrupt paths to radicalization to violence, identify recruitment patterns” and ways to “make it easier for law enforcement and the intelligence community to identify terrorist operatives and prevent attacks.” The meeting came following pressure from Congress in December for the federal government to combat terrorists' use of social media. The Combat Terrorist Use of Social Media Act (HR-3654), which the House passed in December (see 1512160022), would require federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies to coordinate their strategies for combatting terrorists’ messaging and recruitment efforts online. The Requiring Reporting of Online Terrorist Activity Act (S-2372) would require technology companies to inform law enforcement about terrorists’ activities on social media platforms (see 1512080070).