The Home Affairs Committee has strongly criticised social media companies for failing to take down and take sufficiently seriously illegal content – saying they are "shamefully far" from taking sufficient action to tackle hate and dangerous content on their sites.
The Home Affairs Committee carried out an inquiry into hate crime and its consequences. This includes hate crime motivated by extremism and actions carried out by fixated individuals ("lone wolves").
Inquiry
Hate crime and its violent consequences inquiry
Witnesses Rt Hon Lindsay Hoyle MP, Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, and Eric Hepburn, Director of Security for Parliament; Sarah Newton MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Vulnerability, Safeguarding and Countering Extremism, and Robert Buckland QC MP, Solicitor General (at 3.15pm).
Inquiry
Hate crime and its violent consequences inquiry
Witnesses Peter Barron, Vice-President, Communications and Public Affairs, Google Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Simon Milner, Policy Director for the UK, Middle East and Africa, Facebook, and Nick Pickles, Senior Public Policy Manager for UK and Israel, Twitter.
Inquiry
Hate crime and its violent consequences inquiry
Witnesses Sarah Green, Co-Director, End Violence Against Women Coalition, and Melanie Jeffs, Manager, Nottingham Women's Centre; Superintendent Ted Antill, Hate Crime Lead, Nottinghamshire Police, Paul Giannasi, Hate Crime Policy Advisor to the National Police Chiefs' Council, Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton, National Policing Lead for Hate Crime, National Police Chiefs' Council, and Claire Light, Head of Profession, Neighbourhoods, Confidence and Equality Team, Greater Manchester Police (at 3.15pm).