No fines for internet giants over extremist material: Home Secretary says she is ‘not convinced’ penalising the firms was best way to stop content appearing online

‘Google, Facebook and other internet giants will escape the threat of multi-million pound fines for allowing extremist material on their sites, it emerged last night.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd backed away from the idea yesterday, saying she was ‘not convinced’ imposing fines was the best way to prevent extremists putting videos and documents online.
Reports last month had suggested ministers were drawing up plans to impose swingeing fines on web firms who failed to stop poisonous content appearing.
But yesterday Miss Rudd said the focus instead was on pressurising the companies to ensure that the material didn’t ‘go up in the first place’.
‘I’m not convinced that that [fines] is the way to get the outcome that we want, which is for these companies to turn their expertise and resources to making sure this hate material isn’t on their websites,’ she told Pienaar’s Politics on BBC Radio 5 Live.’
Read more: No fines for internet giants over extremist material: Home Secretary says she is ‘not convinced’ penalising the firms was best way to stop content appearing online