BT, Virgin, TalkTalk and Sky will add 'jihad reporting' button to flag online extremism

The UK's major internet service providers have announced measures to tackle online extremism, after pressure from the government to help in the fight against terrorism.

BT, Sky, Virgin and TalkTalk have all agreed to add a 'jihad reporting' button that customers can use to highlight online material relating to terrorism. The providers have also committed to strengthening filters for extremist content to prevent children and young people coming into contact with radicalising material.

Virgin explained that it is committed to working with the government to tackle the problem.

"We're exploring options that will enable more extremist content to be filtered and reported. We'll continue talks with the government as we work through the technical details," the firm said.

BT added: "We have had productive dialogue with the government about addressing the issue of extremist content online and we are working through the technical details."

TalkTalk echoed the sentiments: "We are committed to working with the government to help address extremist content and are exploring ways to achieve this."

Prime minister David Cameron said that the government is pushing UK companies to do more to tackle harmful material online, according to the BBC.

"We are making progress but there is further to go. This is their social responsibility and we expect them to live up to it," he said.

The UK's Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit is currently the only example of a specialist police unit set up to deal with public reports of violent extremist or terrorist online material.

Under Section 3 of the 2006 Terrorism Act, the unit can remove online content that incites or glorifies terrorism.

It has also compiled a list of URLs for blocked material hosted outside UK networks, which will be incorporated into the UK's four main ISPs' internet filters.

However, campaigners from the Open Rights Group (ORG), which aims to preserve the free flow of information across the internet, has called for more transparency on the information that the government and ISPs plan to block.

Jim Killock, executive director at the ORG, insisted that the public has a right to hear about government policies that could affect their freedom of speech.

"The government has failed to debate the issues, but we know that the public wants and needs to hear about what is happening with privacy and free speech online," he said.

V3 contacted Downing Street for more comment, but has yet to receive a response.

Technology is increasingly aiding terrorism, according to the new director of GCHQ, and will require industry to work more closely with government agencies if terror threats are to be tackled.