US joins global drive to curb online extremism
But Washington says its actions will also be dictated by need to protect freedom of speech
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WASHINGTON • The US will join a New Zealand-led global campaign to stamp out violent extremism online, the White House said, making a policy change two years after the administration of former president Donald Trump declined to participate.
The initiative was started by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019 after a gunman killed 51 people at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch, while live-streaming his rampage on Facebook.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the US would join the "Christchurch Call to Action to Eliminate Terrorist and Violent Extremist Content Online" in a statement late on Friday.
"Countering the use of the Internet by terrorists and violent extremists to radicalise and recruit is a significant priority" for Washington, she added.
"Joining the coalition of governments and companies that have endorsed the Christchurch Call to Action reinforces the need for collective action."
Ms Ardern yesterday said the US had been a "constructive, engaged partner on many Call-related issues since its launch", and that the announcement was a "formalisation of that relationship and a commitment for us to work even more closely".
In 2019, the US cited protecting free speech when it declined to join the campaign, though Washington stressed that it did back the initiative's aims.
Ms Psaki said free speech remained a concern.
"The United States applauds language in the Christchurch Call emphasising the importance of respecting human rights and the rule of law, including the protection of freedom of expression," her statement said.
She added that in joining the initiative, the US "will not take steps that would violate the freedoms of speech and association protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, nor violate reasonable expectations of privacy".
Ms Psaki said Washington will participate in a virtual summit on Friday.
The Christchurch gunman, Brenton Tarrant, was sentenced last August to jail for life without parole for the murder of 51 people and attempted murder of 40 others at the two mosques on March 15, 2019, the worst mass shooting in New Zealand's history.
Tarrant, an Australian national, is the only person in New Zealand to be designated as a terrorist.
Last month, he dropped legal challenges over his prison conditions and status as a "terrorist entity", according to a New Zealand Herald report.
REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
