Five Eyes officials to meet tech CEOs after Christchurch attack

Five Eyes officials to meet tech CEOs to discuss ways to stop illegal content on social media, following the Christchurch massacre.

Five Eyes officials at the 2018 forum on the Gold Coast.

Five Eyes officials from the US, UK, New Zealand, Canada and Australia are set to meet with tech CEOs this year to discuss ways to stop illegal content spreading on social media, amid concern about terrorist’s use of the medium after the Christchurch massacre.

“The Digital Industry Engagement Senior Officials Group, chaired by Australia, met in London in November 2018 and California in February 2019, to progress Five Eyes ministerial priorities outlined in the Five Country Ministerial Statement on Countering the Illicit Use of Online Spaces,” a Home Affairs Department spokesman said.

“To date, digital industry representatives have not been invited to [the senior officials] meetings. Ministers at the 2018 [Five Eyes meeting] stated that CEOs of major digital industry companies were welcome to attend the next meeting in 2019.”

Back in August last year, five-eyes countries including Australia agreed to push industry to prevent illegal content from being uploaded and to force tech companies to take down illegal material “immediately”.

Australia agreed to be part of this five eyes senior officials group to “monitor industry progress” toward eight measures to stop the spread of illegal content and the United Kingdom is in charge of convening the next meeting this year.