Big tech executives who allow the spread of extremist material online should be jailed, according to the Government’s terror watchdog chief.
Jonathan Hall QC criticized UK authorities for failing bring a single criminal prosecution against Internet businesses for alleged breaches to terrorist laws.
Accusing social media giants of having neither a ‘human face or heart’, he sensationally claimed it was pointless appealing to Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg to ‘act morally’ because he was only motivated by profit.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Mr Hall called for greater use of tough control orders to monitor suspected terrorists, arguing that MI5 and GCHQ should be allowed to put their ‘intrusive’ powers to ‘creative’ use to tackle a growing number of ‘lone wolf’ extremists.
The Government’s independent reviewer of terrorism said laws exist to prosecute big tech and that fines and imprisonment should be used to clampdown on the spread of terrorist material online.
Accusing social media giants of having neither a ‘human face or heart’, Jonathan Hall QC sensationally claimed it was pointless appealing to Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg to ‘act morally’ because he was only motivated by profit
‘Nothing should be off the books. Most regulations have a criminal penalty attached to them and often imprisonment lies at the end of the tunnel,’ Mr Hall told the paper.
‘You would hope you wouldn’t get there because the fines can be very high and the reputational consequences can be enormous, but I wouldn’t take anything off the table.’
Britain’s intelligence agencies are said to be concerned over the rise of ‘lone wolf’ terorists radicalised during the pandemic.
Calling the Internet the ‘main frontier’, he said the Internet has made it easier for Islamist and Right-wing terrorist to set up groups.
Hall lashed out at the UK authorities for not bringing a single case against Internet companies that were accused of violating terrorism laws.
Mr Hall also insisted that social media giants are not quick enough to remove online material, calling technology ‘a money making endeavour’.
‘I think tech companies have made a rod for their own back by pretending they have values like “do no evil” when in fact they only have values as long as it makes them money,’ he added.
Independent reviewer who assumed his position in 2019 called for more Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures to be used (Tpims), to ensure that suspects are being monitored.
Though the use of the orders, from tagging and curfews to restricted access to phones and computers was weakened by David Cameron’s coalition government, Mr Hall argued they should be used more to deter ‘keyboard warriors’.
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