Google toughens stance on extremist content following May's criticism

Google says it is working with Microsoft, Twitter and Facebook to help smaller firms stamp out extremist content

Google has responded to Theresa May's criticism of internet firms by pledging to work with governments in tackling terrorists' internet use.

May criticised the likes of Google, Microsoft and Facebook after the terror attack at London Bridge earlier this month, accusing them of creating a "safe space" online for terrorists to communicate.

Google has now admitted that "more needs to be done" by the major internet companies.

In a blog post that first appeared in the Financial Times, Google general counsel Kent Walker said: "We are working with government, law enforcement and civil society groups to tackle the problem of violent extremism online. There should be no place for terrorist content on our services.

"While we and others have worked for years to identify and remove content that violates our policies, the uncomfortable truth is that we, as an industry, must acknowledge that more needs to be done."

Walker said that Google will plough more resources into its machine-learning technology which can be taught to remove extremist content automatically, while also increasing the number of staff at its Trusted Flagger programme - a team that highlights inappropriate videos to YouTube itself.

Google will also take a "tougher stance" on inflammatory religious and supremacist content by implementing warning screens before certain videos are accessed, and by directing "potential ISIS recruits" away from extremist content and towards anti-terror videos.

"We have also recently committed to working with industry colleagues - including Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter - to establish an international forum to share and develop technology and support smaller companies and accelerate our joint efforts to tackle terrorism online," Walker added.

"We'll keep working on the problem until we get the balance right. Extremists and terrorists seek to attack and erode not just our security, but also our values; the very things that make our societies open and free.

"Together, we can build lasting solutions that address the threats to our security and our freedoms."