What Social Media Companies Can Do

Posted: October 25th, 2015

By Ambassador Mark Wallace

Ambassador Mark Wallace is CEO of the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), a not-for-profit, non-partisan, international policy organization formed to combat the growing threat from extremist ideology. Wallace served previously as United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Representative for U.N. Management and Reform.

On Sept. 28 in New York City, the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) co-hosted with the U.S. State Department the first Global Youth Summit Against Violent Extremism, an initiative that grew from February’s White House Summit to Counter Violent Extremism. The Global Youth Summit highlighted the fantastic ongoing work of 75 youth activists from 40 countries, all of who are fighting extremism in their communities.

We desperately want these young people to succeed in helping to steer other young men and women away from extremism, but competing with the relentless and slick social media marketing of ISIS and other groups who misuse social media platforms to radicalize, recruit, and incite violence is a continuing challenge.

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