The ministers met with representatives from Google, Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok at Krusenberg Manor outside Uppsala on Friday. The purpose was to put pressure on the platforms to do more to stop gangs' recruitment of young people for various violent crimes, including murder.
According to Hummelgaard, the meeting was good and the companies were constructive and cooperative. A follow-up meeting will be held in a few months in Copenhagen. Then, the ministers expect the companies to present an action plan.
Time to deliver
We have told the tech platforms very clearly that the political patience not only in the Nordic countries but in the whole world is running out, says Hummelgaard.
Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) says that it will be "time to deliver" for the companies in Copenhagen to come up with something concrete.
The four companies represented at the meeting assure in a joint statement that they are committed to keeping malicious actors and violent content away from their platforms.
However, they point out that the problems discussed at the meeting may have originated from other platforms than those present on Friday. They also believe that gang recruitment is a broader social problem that occurs in both the physical and digital spheres.
Google, Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok are now, through TechSverige, inviting all affected parties to a Nordic forum for dialogue and knowledge exchange. The first meeting will be held before the end of the year.
Satisfied with some steps
Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) says that he is satisfied "to some extent" that some important steps forward have been taken.
But much work remains, he says.
Besides the tech companies' Nordic forum, Strömmer points out that the ministers in the Nordic countries have now created a "structure" for information exchange between the different countries' police authorities, as well as in relation to the digital platforms.
One problem, according to Strömmer, is that those who recruit criminals through open channels then move the conversation to encrypted services that are difficult to access. He mentions, for example, Telegram.
According to Strömmer, several legislative processes are underway nationally that "address these issues".
We will return when we have something concrete, he says.
