Ladies and gentlemen,
I know many of you well from the excellent cooperation we established since 2015 in the EU Internet Forum.
It is a pleasure to be here today in larger company.
You have created platforms that changed our world forever.
What we want is to make sure that your platforms are not misused by those that want to hurt our citizens.
My primary concern is of course terrorism.
Those present at the EU Internet Forum in December, saw the sense of urgency of our Member States.
Germany, France, the UK, Sweden, Spain and Finland suffered attacks in 2017.
In many of these attacks, the misuse of the internet was the common leitmotif:
– to recruit supporters,
– to coordinate attacks or
– to disseminate instructions on bomb-making.
Progress has been made, and material is getting removed.
But what we want is to turn the tide on terrorists, not a drop in the ocean that is the internet.
In December, we saw encouraging results – on automated detection of content,
– on preventing re-uploading through the database of hashes, and
– on removing terrorist content through referrals.
But more has to be done to avoid that people are hurt.
There are many examples:
– On the speed of removals: content should be removed within 1-2 hours;
– Information on removed content should be shared with law enforcement so it can be used as evidence in investigations.
– Your reporting should become more transparent, more regular, with clear statistics so we can see the progress.
– Technology and know-how such as the database of hashes should be shared with smaller companies, to ensure they are not the weakest links.
As you all understand, we need results: now.
The battlefield is not anymore Syria and Irak. The battlefield is on the internet.
You can help to stop terrorist content and prevent its spread.
In February, we have another meeting of the Internet Forum,
and by the end of January we requested that you give us key data on a matrix of indicators.
This will be crucial evidence to decide next steps.
Legislation takes time, but we don’t exclude it in the longer run if considered necessary.
In the meantime, also on the basis of the discussions here today, we are looking at coming forward with more specific steps which could be taken to tighten up the response before we reach a decision on whether legislation will be required.
But the time to act is now, and all we need to act responsibly, collectively, and decisively.
And what I just said is based on what we have already established with all of you: a trustful relationship and cooperation, because we are all on the same side in our efforts to fight this heinous phenomenon of our times.