Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Trump Administration Just Gave the Worst Reason for Refusing to Join New Zealand's Efforts to Stop Terrorists from Spreading Content Online

Trump Administration Just Gave the Worst Reason for Refusing to Join New Zealand's Efforts to Stop Terrorists from Spreading Content Online
Mark Wilson/Getty Images // Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Seriously?

The Trump administration's tacit acceptance of violent rhetoric has reached a new low: they're declining to join New Zealand and France in a commitment to fight online terrorism.

The Christchurch Call for Action, named after the March 15 mass shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, encourages tech companies to work together to step up their efforts to keep terrorism off social media. The Christchurch massacre was livestreamed on Facebook, and viewed and reposted by millions before Facebook was able to block it.


"When it came to the way this attack was specifically designed to be broadcast and to go viral, (responding) to that needed a global solution, so that was why we immediately got in contact with international counterparts," said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in an interview with CNN.

Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron announced the Christchurch Call for Action at a meeting of digital leaders for the G7 nations. The agreement is focused on terrorism and violent extremism on social media. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has given "Facebook's support to this call to action."

But Trump officials have said the US is "not currently in a position to join the endorsement," citing concerns about freedom of speech.

People were

"We encourage technology companies to enforce their terms of service and community standards that forbid the use of their platforms for terrorist purposes," the official White House statement read, adding "We maintain that the best tool to defeat terrorist speech is productive speech, and thus we emphasize the importance of promoting credible, alternative narratives as the primary means by which we can defeat terrorist messaging."
Productive speech, such as the manifesto of the Christchurch shooter, in which  Trump was cited "as a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose" and an inspiration for the massacre of 51 people - the impetus for the Christchurch Call for Action.

The Trump administration has derided Facebook and Twitter for cracking down on extremism and misinformation - although many people believe the social media platforms haven't done enough.

This isn't the first time the Trump administration has cited "freedom of speech" to protect violent extremist rhetoric. Trump refused to speak out against Neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, saying there were "very fine people, on both sides."

With leaders from countries such as Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom expected to sign on to the call to action, the US looks pretty bad in comparison.

More from News

Dax Shepard; Dove Cameron
Armchair Expert

Dax Shepard Shares Sweet Reason Why Seeing One Of Dove Cameron's Tattoos Made Him Cry

*The following article contains discussion of suicide/self-harm.

A video of actor Dax Shepard getting emotional during a recent episode of his Armchair Expert podcast has gone viral.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
Fox News

Trump Accidentally Roasts Himself With Ironic Question About 'Stupid People'

President Donald Trump was widely mocked after he attempted to defend his disastrous tariff strategy to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday and issued a rhetorical question about "stupid people" that said more about him than anyone else.

Trump would later declare a full 90-day suspension of all the “reciprocal” tariffs that took effect at midnight April 10—except for those on China—in a dramatic about-face from a president who had long championed his historically high tariff rates as permanent.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Justin Bieber being hounded by paparazzi
X17OnlineVideo

Fans Defend Justin Bieber After He Confronts Paparazzi For Constantly Hounding Him

Fans defended Justin Bieber after he berated the relentless paparazzi and accused them of only being concerned with turning a profit over valuing people's lives.

According to X17, the "Intentions" singer's retreat to Palm Springs, days before the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, was anything but relaxing as he clashed with the paparazzi for a third day in a row.

Keep ReadingShow less
RFK Jr.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

RFK Jr. Slammed After Claiming HHS Will Discover The Cause Of 'Autism Epidemic' By September

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that scientists would determine the cause of the "autism epidemic" by September, even though scientists haven't discovered a breakthrough despite decades of research.

In a cabinet meeting with Republican President Donald Trump on Thursday, RFK Jr. stated:

Keep ReadingShow less
J.D. Vance and Usha Vance listen to Susan Meyers during his Greenland visit
Jim Watson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Space Force Commander Fired Over Email Criticizing Vance's Greenland Comments

Vice President J.D. Vance and the wider Trump administration are facing criticism now that Colonel Susan Meyers was removed from her post as commander at Greenland's Pituffik Space Base after breaking with Vance in an email she wrote following his controversial visit to the island territory.

Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, alongside the Faroe Islands, the only other autonomous territory within the Kingdom. Citizens of both Greenland and the Faroe Islands are full citizens of Denmark. As one of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union, Greenland’s citizens are also recognized as EU citizens.

Keep ReadingShow less