Companies like should be forced by law to monitor what people post and report material that suggests they are becoming involved in , according to an MP.
Birmingham MP , author of a new book on the causes of extremism and terrorism, is calling for legislation forcing social media companies to alert the security services if someone promotes terrorism or appears to support it.
It follows reports that Facebook failed to pass on information about one of the killers of Fusilier Lee Rigby.
Michael Adebowale, one of two men jailed for the murder of Mr Rigby, had used the social networking site to express his 鈥渋ntent to murder a soldier in the most graphic and emotive manner鈥 five months before the attack in 2013.
An inquiry by Parliament鈥檚 intelligence and security committee found Facebook had previously shut down Adebowale鈥檚 accounts on the site because he had discussed terrorism, but failed to tell the security services.
Mr Byrne said he was calling on the British government to back legislation ensuring firms such as Facebook or 鈥渞eport terrorist content when they become aware of it.鈥
He said: 鈥淚n the Michael Adebowale case, it emerged he had a lot of Facebook activity. And Facebook鈥檚 automatic filters shut down a couple of his pages before the Lee Rigby murder.
鈥淪o there is a question about how you oblige social media companies to develop better software that allows them to alert the security services when they come across risks like that.
鈥淭hese are some of the most profitable companies on earth. They don鈥檛 pay their fair share of tax. And it鈥檚 about time we changed the balance of power.鈥
He said people were being radicalised online and the Government should spend 鈥渕ore time focusing on where the real problem is鈥.
Mr Byrne this week published a book called Black Flag Down: Counter-extremism, Defeating ISIS and Winning the Battle of Ideas. In it, he warns that the west is in danger of losing the propaganda war while terror groups such as ISIS are succesfully usng social media to spread propaganda and using online messaging apps such as WhatsApp.
