The White House announced Wednesday that free speech concerns would keep the administration from signing onto an international agreement to counteract online extremism.
The agreement is being pushed by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in the wake of the Christchurch shooting. More than 50 people were killed in the mosque attacks, which were livestreamed on Facebook.
“The United States stands with the international community in condemning terrorist and violent extremist content online in the strongest terms,” the White House said in a statement.
“We continue to be proactive in our efforts to counter terrorist content online while also continuing to respect freedom of expression and freedom of the press,” the White House said.
World leaders, including Australia, Germany, India, Italy, and Spain, crafted the nine-point agreement called the “Christchurch call to action” in response to the shooting. Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, Google, and Amazon released a joint statement committing to the “Christchurch Call.”
“The terrorist attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March were a horrifying tragedy. And so it is right that we come together, resolute in our commitment to ensure we are doing all we can to fight the hatred and extremism that lead to terrorist violence,” the companies’ joint statement said.
“Terrorism and violent extremism are complex societal problems that require an all-of-society response. For our part, the commitments we are making today will further strengthen the partnership that Governments, society and the technology industry must have to address this threat,” the statement said.
Facebook announced before the start of the summit it would be placing new limits on its Facebook Live tool in an attempt to prevent its use to “cause harm or spread hate.”
