YP Comment: Cleaning up social media. Sites must aid terror fight

HOME Secretary Amber Rudd's warning to technology giants that they must display a much more responsible attitude to banning extremist and offensive material from their sites has been given added urgency by the Westminster terror attack.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd.Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd.

Khalid Masood, who mowed down pedestrians and murdered Pc Keith Palmer outside Parliament used the encrypted messaging service WhatsApp minutes before the atrocity, bringing into sharp focus the potential for social media to be used in terrorism.

Ms Rudd is right to demand that the social media giants take action to rid their sites of dangerous and repellent material. She is also correct to give them the chance to clean up their own act first, but in her intervention yesterday, there is the veiled threat that if they do not police themselves, the Government will consider legislation.

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For too long, the leading players in social media have maintained the pretence that they are merely platforms for other people’s material, and not publishers of it.

This is a disingenuous stance which has been used to sidestep the regulatory regimes to which the mainstream media, including newspaper publishers and broadcasters, are subject.

The flight of advertisers from social media giants such Google and its YouTube service, horrified that their company names are being seen in close proximity to extremist material, will undoubtedly concentrate the minds of those who dominate social media.

Pressure from both the Government and the commercial world are powerful incentives for a rethink by the industry, which should heed Ms Rudd’s urging to co-operate with the intelligence services when requested to do so.

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There must be no place for terrorists to hide on social media. The companies concerned are amongst the most profitable in the world. Such profitability brings with it responsibilities to play their part in safeguarding society from terrorism and extremism.

Obesity action

CHILDHOOD obesity is one of the most pressing health issues of our times, a timebomb that threatens to cause untold unhappiness for families and a major financial burden on the NHS.

Tackling it effectively requires action by an alliance of the Government, the food industry, retailers and parents. The Commons Health Committee call for further Government measures is a timely and sensible contribution to the debate about how that should happen.

The committee is right to accuse the Government of doing too little, and the suspicion remains that it watered down proposals for limits on sugar in food and drink targeted at children because it was reluctant to offend manufacturers.

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Recommendations for restrictions on discounting of unhealthy food and the removal of confectionery from checkouts, where children may pester parents for it, are both achievable aims and rightly remind retailers they have a part to play in tackling childhood obesity.

But on this issue, Government action can only go so far. Legislation, or voluntary action by either manufacturers or retailers, cannot reach into the homes of families where parents are allowing their children to gorge on food and drink high in sugar, salt and fat.

Parental responsibility in providing a balanced, healthy diet, and ensuring that children exercise, is at the heart of winning the battle against obesity. Increasing public education about the risks of being grossly overweight, and the consequent health problems such as heart disease and diabetes, must also be at the heart of the Government’s strategy.

Back on track

WHEN Flying Scotsman sounds its whistle on Friday, the famous steam locomotive will be signalling the rebirth of one of the world’s great rail routes.

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The Settle to Carlisle line, running for 72 miles through the glorious countryside of the Dales, and across the mighty Ribblehead Viaduct, will fully reopen this week after being shut for more than a year following a landslip.

This truly is cause for celebration. The people of Yorkshire fought a long and hard campaign to keep the line open when it was under threat, and it is part of the very fabric of our county.

It is prized not only as a vital transport link, but as a magnet for tourists. The £23m it has cost to bring the line back into use is money well spent.

It is wonderful to have the Settle to Carlisle route back once more, and long may it prosper.