EU, Internet firms to launch anti-extremism forum

The European Union announced Monday it will launch in December a forum bringing together Internet firms and law enforcement agencies to combat online extremism.

 The move comes amid growing alarm in Europe over the use of social media as a powerful recruiting tool, especially by the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

 "We need to counter this abuse of the internet and its growing role in radicalisation with determination and a shared plan of action. That is exactly the reason why we are setting up the EU Internet Forum," EU Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said.

 "I will officially launch the Internet Forum on December 2 this year, with most of the large internet players around the table," he told a meeting of home affairs ministers in Brussels.

 Civil society groups would also be involved, he said.

 He did not identify the firms but EU interior ministers met in Luxembourg in October last year with delegates from Google, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft to enlist them in the fight against online extremism.

 "All the companies we spoke to are very engaged and willing to work with us. The spectre of online radicalisation affects them too," Greece's Avramopoulos said.

 Avramopoulos, a former Greek foreign minister, said the forum will aim to counter the type of propaganda that "leads foreign terrorist fighters from Europe to travel abroad to train, fight and commit atrocities in combat zones."

 More than 5,000 fighters from Europe have gone to Syria and Iraq to sign up with extremist groups, EU counter-terrorism coordinator Gilles de Kerchove told the meeting.