G7 Interior Ministers Reaffirm Need for Internet Regulation - France's Castaner

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Interior ministers of the G7 member states have reaffirmed the need for Internet regulation in order to tackle the spread of terrorism-related content, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said on Friday at the press conference held after a meeting of the interior ministers.

"We had lively discussions about the fight against Internet usage for terrorism-related aims. In the wake of the Christchurch attack, we have seen many terrorism-related images spread online, and we cannot tolerate this… We have to act. We have emphasized the need for Internet companies to delete terrorism-related content, which the relevant authorities alert [us] of… and even to anticipate this using new algorithms that can impede the spreading of such content", Castaner, who chaired the meeting, told reporters.

He stressed the need to flag terrorism-related content so that it could be promptly blocked.

According to Castaner, online giants, including Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Twitter, have reaffirmed the need for Internet regulation as well.

"France supports the adoption of European legislation for the quick withdrawal of terrorist content", the minister added.

READ MORE: Internet Regulation Dilemma: 'Hate Speech Is Not Freedom of Speech' — EU Analyst

The statement comes after Australian Parliament passed on 4 April a bill to prevent "violent material" from disseminating in the wake of the mosque attacks in New Zealand's Christchurch, which left 50 people dead in mid-March. The attacker was live streaming his actions on social media.