Watchdog condemns May’s technology plans

Max Hill QC, the UK’s counter terrorism watchdog, has questioned the effectiveness of government plans to challenge technology firms on what they are doing to tackle extremist propaganda.

Reported in The Times, Max Hill, speaking at the Terrorism and Social Media conference in Swansea, warned that to ‘criminalise’ companies such as Google and Facebook could drive dangerous content into ‘the dark web’ and make prosecutions more difficult, whilst also highlighting the difficulty it poses to cooperation.

May announced the option of fining technology companies after attacks in Manchester attack and in London, in Westminster and London Bridge.

Hill said: “I struggle to see how it would help if our parliament were to criminalise tech company bosses who ‘don’t do enough’. How do we measure ‘enough’? What is the appropriate sanction? We do not live in China, where the internet simply goes dark for millions when government so decides. Our democratic society cannot be treated that way.”