EU Gives Internet Giants Three Months to Remove Extremist Content

Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and other internet companies are given three months to show the European Union that they are removing extremist content faster or face legislation.

Some governments have intensified the pressure on social media companies to do more to remove illegal content, such as Islamic state and incitement to commit atrocities, and the sector has increased its efforts to demonstrate its progress.

On Thursday, the European Commission has recommended measures that internet platforms should stop the multiplying extremist content, including the removal of such material within an hour of being notified of its existence.

According to European governments, the extremist content on the internet has influenced lone-wolf attackers who have killed people in some cities in Europe after being radicalized.

“While several platforms have been removing more illegal content than ever before ... we still need to react faster against terrorist propaganda and other illegal content which is a serious threat to our citizens' security, safety and fundamental rights,” Andrus Ansip, a Digital Commissioner, stated on Thursday.

The recommendation sets guidelines on how interne companies should remove illegal content generally and advises a faster reaction towards extremist materials.

The Commission stated that it would assess the need for legislation within three months for what it labeled as “terrorist content.” Meanwhile, for the other types of illegal content the Commission will assess progress within six months.

New Google Ad Policy

In other news, thousands of nonprofit organizations could lose a monthly advertising grant from Alphabet Inc’s Google starting on Thursday.

Google offers $10,000 in credits to each of the 35,000 nonprofits worldwide every month to purchase ads on its search engines. However, Google has found out that several ads received some clicks and said last December that the company would stop funding groups that have less than 5 percent generate clicks of their ads in two consecutive months.

Meanwhile, some nonprofit organizations stated that they could not do so with only two months and that their accounts may not get funded for March.

“We're very grateful for the program,” the communications manager for Greenlining Institute, Conrad Contresas, said. “But five percent in two months, it's just unrealistic.”

On the other hand, Google announced that it has increased training this year, and that the average click rate among nonprofits in February was about 6 percent.

Rates can range from around 2 percent to 12 percent with other advertisers.

“We revised our Ad Grants policies to help nonprofits be more effective with AdWords and improve the quality of their ads, which will lead to targeted awareness of their projects and mission,” Google said in a statement.

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