A Microsoft executive has addressed the U.N.’s most powerful body on a framework for countering terrorist propaganda and online recruiting.
The remarks of Steven A. Crown, a Microsoft vice president and deputy general counsel, marked the first time a representative of a technology company spoke before the United Nations Security Council.
“There is no silver bullet that will stop terrorist use of the Internet,” said Crown, adding that technology companies, states and nongovernmental organizations must work together to “address terrorist use of the internet, including creation and use of counter-narratives,” in a manner that respects privacy and free speech.
“For the internet industry, the scale of the terrorist challenge is daunting,” he said. “We know that there are tens of thousands of terrorist internet accounts that refuse to die. As one is taken down, another quickly springs up in its place.”
The discourse was part of an emerging Security Council initiative to counter the use of narratives by extremist groups who use the Internet by April 30, 2017
Taking a more proactive position, Mohi El-Din Afifi, secretary-general of the Cairo-based Al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy, told the council that his organization was working to correct this by offering training courses for Imams and speakers from around the world to teach that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance. The Cairo group maintains a digital observatory to detect what the Islamic State group, also known as ISIL, publishes in order to refute their teachings.
“We have seen deviated ideologies and concepts that are contrary to the religion (Islam) and these have been spread through social networks,” Afifi said. “And if this becomes a threat of violence then it becomes terrorism.”
U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said that while it was critical to combat extremism, it was also important to protect free speech.
“As we consider the task of countering violent ideologies we all must recognize that the common goal of countering terrorist ideology should never be used as an excuse to suppress political dissent,” Power said. “Legal action is a critical tool in the campaign against ISIL but it must not be wielded like a cudgel against those who voice unpopular speech or criticize authorities. Such behavior doesn’t prevent violent extremism, it fuels it.”
Power added that as a tool, the Internet can cut both ways.
“The internet itself is not a threat though it can host ISIL lies and propaganda, it also makes possible the flow of counter narratives, the exchange of new ideas and the voices of tolerance who vastly outnumber the exceptions,” Power said.
In an ironic twist, Microsoft was forced to shut down an AI chatbot, nicknamed Tay, when it was tricked by Twitter users into mimicking unsavory, racially charged comments.
It’s worth considering if bot makers have a responsibility to teach their AI tools to avoid being racist, sexist, abusive, violent and otherwise horrific. The backfire with the chatbot is an example of what can happen when researchers and engineers don’t take on that responsibility.
Google has played a role in removing “hate speech” from its search engine index when reported or detected online. In 2015, Chairman Eric Schmidt backed a “hate-speech spell-checker” that would nudge ordinary web users away from unwelcome forms of expression on social media.
“We should target social accounts for terrorist groups like the Islamic State, and remove videos before they spread, or help those countering terrorist messages to find their voice,” Schmidt wrote. “If tech companies do not take action, the web would become a tool for “empowering the wrong people.”
The hacking group known as Anonymous has reported that it exposed and took down over 5,500 ISIS-affiliated accounts on Twitter. [24×7]
