Meta launches initiative against hate content, extremism in UK, Pakistan

Meta Platforms Inc. is expanding its The Redirect Initiative into the U.K. and Pakistan to tackle content promoting violent extremism, terrorism and organized hate, the social media platform announced Feb. 9.

Under the initiative, users searching for content related to organized hate or violent extremism will be provided, as a top search result, with a link to resources on how to break away from violence and extremism.

The initiative is already being implemented in the U.S., Australia, Germany and Indonesia.

Meta's new initiative in the U.K. comes days after the government added new offenses to its proposed online safety bill, which will require online platforms to be more proactive in addressing hate content on their platforms. The new additions will force platforms to prevent users from being exposed to such content in the first place instead of merely removing the content after users have reported it.