Britain Warns Twitter & Facebook To Regulate Their Sites Content

British Home Secretary Priti Patel blames Facebook,
Twitter,TikTok, Instagram and YouTube for the soaring
number of migrants trying to reach the UK in Dangerous
High Sea Crossings as she orders social media giants to
remove posts that ‘glamorise’ illegal Channel crossings
. Priti Patel believes social media companies glamorise
illegal Channel crossings
. She has accused tech companies of using their services
to advertise the trips
. Criminal gangs also advertise services such as providing
passports and visas
By Glen Owen for The Mail on Sunday
Published: 22:01, 5 June 2021 | Updated: 10:14, 6 June
2021
Priti Patel has ordered social media giants including
Facebook and Twitter to remove posts that ‘glamorise’
illegal Channel crossings, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The Home Secretary’s action comes as the number of
migrants trying to reach the UK soars again, and amid
growing anger in Government that tech companies are
allowing people-smugglers to use their platforms to
advertise their criminal services. One video showing
migrants travelling from Calais to Dover has been seen
more than 800,000 times on Chinese-owned TikTok.
In the strongly worded letter which has been seen by this
newspaper, Ms Patel asks the internet giants to ‘put an
end to the exploitation of your platforms by criminals
involved in organised immigration crime’ as more people
than ever are making ‘incredibly dangerous journeys
across the Channel’.
Trafficking gangs use the sites, which also include
Instagram and YouTube, to advertise illegal boat crossings
as well as fake passport and visa services. Ms Patel warns
in her letter, which was sent yesterday : ‘Posts which
promote and even glamorise these lethal and illegal
crossings, either by boat or in the back of lorries, are
totally unacceptable.
‘What these posts and adverts do not mention are the
people who have died trying to make this crossing, or
those forced to spend 13 hours in unseaworthy boats in
freezing waters.’
In a powerful plea, she adds: ‘These adverts directly lead
to loss of life and I implore you to do everything in your
power to quickly and proactively remove posts related to
illegal crossings before more men, women and children
die in the Channel or on other illegal migration routes.
Now is the time to act before it is too late.’
Ms Patel decided to act after being advised by the British
National Crime Agency (NCA) that social media was
playing an increasingly key role in the people-smuggling
business.
Ms Patel’s intervention is a sign of a growing
determination within Government to tackle the power and
influence of tech giants.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak yesterday helped to broker a
historic deal among the G7 countries with the world’s
most advanced economies to stop companies such as
Amazon, Facebook and Google from channelling their
profits through low-tax regimes.
Under the deal, finance ministers agreed to set a global
minimum corporation tax rate of 15 per cent in tandem
with a measure to force global companies with at least a
ten per cent profit margin to pay taxes in the countries
where they sell their services.
It comes after a subsidiary of Microsoft was revealed last
week to have paid zero corporation tax on £222 billion
profit last year because it was resident in Bermuda for tax
purposes.
Ms Patel decided to act after being advised by the
National Crime Agency (NCA) that social media was
playing an increasingly key role in the people-smuggling
business. The British National Crime Agency will now work
with tech companies to swiftly identify and remove
content related to the migrant crossings. Fewer than half
of posts targeted by the law enforcers have been taken
down.
The Home Office is trying to combat the social media
activities of the gangs by posting its own content on the
platforms containing information on the safe alternative
options available to migrants.
A spokesman for Facebook said: “People smuggling is
illegal and any ads, posts, pages or groups that co-
ordinate this activity are not allowed on Facebook. We will
continue to work closely with law enforcement agencies
around the world including the NCA and Europol to
identify, remove and report this illegal activity.”