NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Budget 2025
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Christchurch Call to Action: Govts, tech companies agree to tackle violent online content on social media

Derek Cheng
By Derek Cheng
Senior Writer·NZ Herald·
15 May, 2019 06:15 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

US won't sign Christchurch agreement - cites free speech concerns.

The United States has snubbed a widespread agreement struck at the Christchurch Call to Action in Paris today to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online.

Seventeen countries, the European Commission, and eight major tech companies have signed up to the accord.

But in a blow to the strength of the mandate, the United States has chosen not to sign despite extensive diplomatic efforts and the fact that a representative was in Paris at a parallel meeting of G7 Digital Ministers.

READ MORE:
• Facebook changes 'would have blocked accused Chch gunman's livestream'
• Feeble Facebook should have followed YouTube's move

The call is still an unprecedented agreement between governments and all the major tech companies for ongoing collaboration to make the internet safer.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

However the White House will not sign the agreement amid US concerns that it clashes with constitutional protections for free speech.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern noted the United States' support for the call's principles.

The US reluctance to sign up was in part mitigated by the commitments of the tech companies that are mainly based there, she said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Dialogue with the US was ongoing, she added.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron at the Christchurch Call summit at Elysee Palace in Paris. Photo / Pool
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron at the Christchurch Call summit at Elysee Palace in Paris. Photo / Pool

The call is the culmination of weeks of intensive work across many government departments, involving thousands of officials to draw up the document and garner global support just two months after the terror attack.

While it is a voluntary framework, it has been given additional heft after an endorsement from 55 investor funds that will use its $5 trillion in assets to push the tech companies to follow through on their pledges.

And five major tech companies have released a series of commitments, including regular publishing of transparency reports about detecting and removing terrorist or violent extremist content on their online platforms, to strengthen the Call to Action.

Discover more

New Zealand|politics

What Facebook does - and should be doing

13 May 05:00 PM
New Zealand|politics

Christchurch Call summit: New rules must leave nowhere to hide

14 May 05:00 PM
Business

Profit-chasing leads YouTube users to 'rabbit holes': Tech experts

15 May 07:31 PM
New Zealand|politics

Christchurch Call summit day: A new collaborative approach

15 May 04:46 AM

They also agree to establish incident management teams to urgently respond to objectionable content.

Facebook has also announced new rules that it says would have prevented the gunman from livestreaming his March 15 act of terrorism.

Governments and tech companies have agreed to develop technology preventing the upload of such content, counter the roots of violent extremism, increase transparency around the detection and removal of such content, and review the business models that can lead social media users down a dark path to radicalisation.

Significantly, tech companies have pledged to review their business models and take action to stop users being funnelled into extremist online rabbit holes that could lead to radicalisation.

Ardern meets with British Prime Minister Theresa May in Paris.
Ardern meets with British Prime Minister Theresa May in Paris.

That includes sharing the effects of their commercially-sensitive algorithms to develop effective ways to redirect users away from dark, single narratives.

"This may include using algorithms and other processes to redirect users from such content or the promotion of credible, positive alternatives or counter-narratives," the Christchurch Call to Action document says.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Tech companies and governments also agreed to work together to counter violent extremism by developing interventions to redirect users away from extremist content.

All parties also pledged to invest in developing AI technology to prevent the upload of such content and, if it does get published, to detect and immediately remove it from online platforms.

Facebook has already announced a US$7.5 million investment to improve technology just hours before the summit.

Countries and tech companies to adopt the call to action:

• New Zealand, France, Canada, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Norway, Senegal, the UK, and the European Commission.
• Countries not present at the summit to sign on are Australia, Germany, Japan, India, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Italy.
• Amazon, Facebook, Dailymotion, Google, Microsoft, Qwant, Twitter, YouTube.

In what is believed to be a world-first, major tech companies Microsoft, Twitter, Facebook, Google and Amazon released a joint statement saying they would set out concrete steps to address the abuse of technology to spread terrorist content.

The steps include:

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

• making terrorist and violent extremist content expressly forbidden
• establishing ways for users to flag such content in a way that will prioritise it for prompt action
• investing in technology that improves capability to detect and remove terrorist and violent extremist content online
• identifying "appropriate checks" on livestreaming, aimed at reducing the risk of terrorist and violent extremist content being shared online.

While the Call to Action is not enforceable and has no specific penalties for non-compliance, an investor group worth a combined $5 trillion has given it some financial muscle.

The group includes 55 funds, including 27 from New Zealand and 28 global funds, and includes Crown-owned investors the New Zealand Super Fund, Accident Compensation Corporation, the Government Superannuation Fund, the National Provident Fund and Kiwi Wealth.

These are the same five funds that joined together after the March 15 terror attack to collectively pressure social media companies to "fulfil their duty of care to prevent harm to their users and to society".

NZ Super Fund chief executive Matt Whineray said they expected to see stronger controls from tech companies to prevent objectionable content being posted online.

"Part of our engagement with social media companies will involve monitoring and ensuring accountability for the Christchurch Call commitments made," Whineray said.

A key aspect of the Call to Action is preserving freedom of expression, abiding by international human rights law, and respecting a free, open and secure internet.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

There will also be an expectation for governments to adopt a legal framework in their respective countries to make tech companies more responsible for the online content they host.

"Ultimately this is a first step but a substantial one," Ardern said.

"Countries and companies have come together, and it happened because they saw what happened in Christchurch and committed to making a difference."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand|crime

Man says he walked into a room to see his fiancee being raped

20 May 07:22 AM
New Zealand|crime

'A bloody beating': Police find victim unsteady on his feet at scene of fatal attack

20 May 06:00 AM
New Zealand

Lawyer suspended after hiring serial conman who stole $330k from MoJ

20 May 05:37 AM

The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Man says he walked into a room to see his fiancee being raped

Man says he walked into a room to see his fiancee being raped

20 May 07:22 AM

'It's not what it looks like,' the man accused of rape allegedly told her fiance.

'A bloody beating': Police find victim unsteady on his feet at scene of fatal attack

'A bloody beating': Police find victim unsteady on his feet at scene of fatal attack

20 May 06:00 AM
Lawyer suspended after hiring serial conman who stole $330k from MoJ

Lawyer suspended after hiring serial conman who stole $330k from MoJ

20 May 05:37 AM
'It makes me sick': 'Peeping Tom' secretly took thousands of pics of naked uni students

'It makes me sick': 'Peeping Tom' secretly took thousands of pics of naked uni students

20 May 05:18 AM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP