Streaming terror propaganda online will be a criminal offence after fresh crackdown
Amber Rudd: Picture credit - Dan Kitwood/PA Wire/Press Association Images
Watching streamed terror material online is to be made a criminal offence under Government plans to crackdown on the spread of propaganda on the internet.
The new law will extend the ban from downloading and possessing the content on a PC to repeatedly watching it through video streams such as YouTube.
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Those found guilty of repeatedly viewing terrorist material could face up to 15 years in jail - up from the previous maximum sentence of ten years.
"I want to make sure those who view despicable terrorist content online including jihadi websites, far-right propaganda and bomb-making instructions face the full force of the law," Rudd said.
"Changes will enable police and the security service to keep pace with modern patterns of internet use and intervene earlier in an investigation given the speed with which online radicalisation is taking place."
The move comes as Rudd ramped up her calls for internet giants such as Google and Facebook to do more to tackle the scourge of online extremism.
The Home Secretary yesterday criticised firms for developing encrypted software that has held back the authorities from investigating suspicious activity.
She told a fringe event at the Conservatives’ conference last night that companies need to step up at a time where terrorist tactics are at a “whole new level”.
“The tech giants need to step up and do more, take a moral responsibility for the fact their platforms are being used in this way,” she said.
She added: “Businesses are developing models that keep security services at bay and that is unacceptable.”
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