Tech giants accused of Islamic State ‘material support’

The family of a California design student killed in November’s attacks in Paris has sued Twitter, Google, and Facebook, claiming the social media companies provide “material support” to IS.

Nohemi Gonzalez’s family filed the lawsuit in federal court in San Francisco, asking the court to rule that the companies are violating the US Anti-Terrorism Act. It seeks compensatory damages to be determined by the court.

“For years, defendants have knowingly permitted the terrorist group Isis to use their social networks as a tool for spreading extremist propaganda, raising funds and attracting new recruits,” states the lawsuit.

The lawsuit charged that the companies’ “material support” has enabled IS to recruit, fund, and carry out numerous terror attacks, including in Paris last November, which saw 130 people killed, including Gonzalez, who was a California State University student studying abroad at the time.

Google said in a statement, “We have clear policies prohibiting terrorist recruitment and content intending to incite violence and quickly remove videos violating these policies when flagged by our users.”

Facebook said: “There is no place for terrorists or content that promotes or supports terrorism on Facebook, and we work aggressively to remove such content as soon as we become aware of it.” It said it contacts law enforcement when it sees evidence of a threat.

Officials with Twitter could not immediately be reached for comment.