Report: Facebook and Google Countering ‘Extremist’ Content with Propaganda

Facebook and Google are countering “extremist” content on their platforms with counter-propaganda, according to a report.

The two tech companies “told Congress Wednesday that they’ve gone beyond screening and removing extremist content and are creating more anti-terror propaganda to pre-empt violent messages at the source,” CNBC reported on Wednesday.

“Representatives from the companies told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation that they are, among other things, targeting people likely to be swayed by extremist messages and pushing content aimed at countering that message,” they declared.

In their testimony, Facebook’s Head of Global Policy Management, Monika Bickert, claimed, “We believe that a key part of combating extremism is preventing recruitment by disrupting the underlying ideologies that drive people to commit acts of violence. That’s why we support a variety of counterspeech efforts.”

The company is also reportedly “working with universities, nongovernmental organizations and community groups around the world ‘to empower positive and moderate voices.'”

Google will combat “extremist” content by using a “Redirect Method,” which sends “anti-terror messages to people likely to seek out extremist content through what is essentially targeted advertising,” according to CNBC, who explained, “If YouTube determines that a person may be headed toward extremism based on their search history, it will serve them ads that subtly contradict the propaganda that they might see from ISIS or other such groups.”

Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington, or like his page at Facebook.