The police are stepping up to stop terrorist messages

The police must be faster in removing violence and terrorism-endorsing films and posts in social media, reports Sweden’s Radio Ekot.

The group within the police that works with these specific tasks will be strengthened, according to Per Engström, section head for national coordination at the police’s National Operative Department (NOA).

– We must increase our ability to reduce the spread of terrorist messages online, he says to the radio.

According to an EU regulation since last year, the police have the right to demand that social media such as Instagram and Tiktok remove terrorist content within an hour. Otherwise, the company behind the service may have to pay a fine, according to a supplementary Swedish law from last summer.