Google is developing a free monitoring tool that smaller websites can use to spot and remove terrorist content, as new legislation in the UK and EU forces all internet companies to do more to tackle terrorist posts.
The software is developed in collaboration with the research and development unit Jigsaw and Tech Against Terrorism by Google, a UN-backed initiative that helps tech companies control online terrorism.
The move comes as internet companies will be forced to remove extremist content from their platforms or face fines and other penalties under laws such as the EU's Digital Services Act, which came into force in November, or the UK's Vassiliou on Internet Security, which is expected to be voted on this year.
The legislation has been pushed by politicians and regulators across Europe, who argue that big tech groups have not gone far enough in policing online content.
But the new regulatory regime has led to concerns that smaller startups are ill-equipped to comply and that a lack of resources will limit their ability to compete with larger tech companies.
A report by him Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism in 2021 estimated that for every 10.000 posts on Facebook, six contain terrorist or extremist content. On smaller platforms, this number could be as high as 5.000 or 50 percent of the content.
Jigsaw's tool will help moderators make decisions about content that has been flagged as dangerous and illegal. It will begin testing at two sites early this year.
