World leaders social media heads to gather for summit on terrorism

By Semi Turaga

Sunday 12/05/2019

French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern earlier announced a joint effort to work toward curbing terrorism on social media.[Photo: AFP]

There will be notable absences at a summit to crackdown on social media being used for terrorism in Paris this coming week.

Neither Mark Zuckerberg nor Sheryl Sandberg from Facebook are attending, nor is the United States President Donald Trump.

On Wednesday, the heads of state from Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Jordan, Senegal and the European Union will descend on Paris for the Christchurch Call summit chaired by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron.

There the world leaders will sign up to an agreement on how to try to end the use of social media to organise and promote terrorism.

It comes after 51 people died in Christchurch as the result of a terrorist attack that was livestreamed on Facebook.

Radio NZ reports technology representatives including Twitter's CEO Jack Dorsey, former deputy British prime minister Nick Clegg on behalf of Facebook and Microsoft's president Brad Smith will attend.

Nick Clegg, who is Facebook's head of global policy and communication, will be in Paris for the summit. [Photo: AFP]