In an escalation of pressure on technology firms to do more to
combat online propaganda from groups such as Islamic State, the
meeting follows attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California,
that underscored the role played by social media companies such as
Twitter Inc, Alphabet Inc's YouTube and Facebook Inc.
Invited participants include White House Chief of Staff Denis
McDonough, presidential counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco,
Attorney General Loretta Lynch, FBI Director James Comey, National
Intelligence Director James Clapper and National Security Agency
Director Mike Rogers, one of the sources said.
A source familiar with the meeting said it would focus on social
media content, not encrypted communications, another topic of
discussion between Silicon Valley and the White House.
Twitter, Apple Inc, Facebook and Google are attending, the companies
said. Several other Internet firms, including Microsoft Corp and
Dropbox, are expected to attend, according to those familiar with
the meeting. Most companies are expected to send high-ranking
executives, but not their chief executive officers.
An administration announcement is expected following the conclusion
of the summit, according to a source.
Twitter last week updated its policies for policing its content to
explicitly prohibit "hateful conduct." Other websites have similarly
updated and clarified their abuse policies within the past 18
months.
The meeting agenda covers how to make it harder for militants to
recruit and mobilize followers on social media, as well as helping
ordinary users create, publish and amplify content that can undercut
groups like Islamic State.
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The meeting also will touch on how technology can be used to disrupt
paths to violent radicalization and identify recruitment patterns,
and how to make it easier for law enforcement and intelligence
agencies to identify militant operatives.
The Obama administration "has been clear about the importance of
government and industry working together to confront terrorism, but
we do not have any specific meetings to announce or preview at this
time," a senior official said.
Amid rising public concern about the potential for more attacks,
President Barack Obama in a speech in December said, "I will urge
high-tech and law enforcement leaders to make it harder for
terrorists to use technology to escape from justice."
Tech firms have been increasingly cooperative, taking down content
viewed as capable of inciting violence or recruiting militants. But
those same firms are often reluctant to appear too cozy with
government investigators, a concern that grew after Edward Snowden
disclosed wide government surveillance.
(Reporting by Dustin Volz and Mark Hosenball; Editing by Kevin
Drawbaugh, Will Dunham and Lisa Shumaker)
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