Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) And Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) subsidiary Google have agreed to help Indonesia to clamp down on offensive online related content especially related to terror.
Authorities in Indonesia have been having a tough time fighting terror especially because those propagating it have been doing so using social media and online platforms that are hard to control. The country has 260 million people and is predominantly Muslim. The authorities previously revealed that terrorist organizations such as ISIS have been using social media and other online platforms to spread propaganda as well as recruiting the youth. Fortunately, it will be easier to fight these issues especially now that Google and Twitter have also joined the cause.
Information Technology Minister Rudiantara stated that Google will team up with various non-governmental organizations in Indonesia to block offensive and criminal content on YouTube. Both Twitter and Google have jumped on board with the idea after the Indonesian government threatened to shut down the social media platforms if the companies that own them failed to act.
“This shows our seriousness in clamping down on negative content,” stated Mr. Rudiantara
The minister told reporters that Google has agreed to implement a new system called ‘trusted flagger’ over the next three months. Mr. Rudiantara further pointed out that the system will be used to lower radicalism in the country. This highlights the fact that Indonesian authorities have become increasingly concerned about the increased activity of extremist groups on social media.
The new program will target posts that have content that promotes vices such as narcotics and religious division. The program will also rely on volunteers to flag content which they feel is in violation of the terms and services of the platform. The system has been used in the US and has reportedly proved effective. Twitter is also taking measures to prevent such content on its microblogging platform. The company’s platform has for a long time been plagued by sensitive content that is often abusive. Fighting these issues has been tough for social media companies but over the past few years, they have expressed commitment towards removing unacceptable content from their social platforms.
Alphabet stock closed the latest trading session on Friday at $945.79.
