Advocacy group invites Zuckerberg to discuss removing extremist content

The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) this week invited Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to host a public conversation about removing extremist content from the platform.

The group extended the invitation following Zuckerberg’s commitment earlier this year to host a series of “public discussions about the future of technology in society.”

{mosads}Mark Wallace, the head of CEP, called on Zuckerberg participate in a meeting with with four experts on extremist content.

“Facebook needs to work with experts if it wants to rid its platform of extremist materials,” Wallace said in a statement Tuesday. “Individuals at CEP are experts in the policy and science behind online content moderation which can help Facebook better understand how to combat this threat.”

“We would welcome the opportunity to engage with Mr. Zuckerberg directly and transparently to the benefit of Americans who many times are the targets of extreme content inciting terrorist acts,” he added.

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Zuckerberg would accept the invitation.

For months, the social media giant has engaged in efforts to remove terrorist content from its platform, announcing in November that it had removed 14 million pieces of terrorist content since the beginning of 2018.

The company has said it removes content using a combination of internal tools that flag extremist content and human reviewers.

Accounts associated with terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have previously used Facebook for recruitment and to incite violence, in violation of the company’s user policies.

Zuckerberg last month pledged to hold public discussions “every few weeks” with tech “leaders, experts and people in our community.” 

“These will all be public, either on my Facebook or Instagram pages or on other media,” he wrote in a Facebook post.