Video Games Are 'under-regulated': EU Anti-terror Czar

Online video games can be used to propagate extremist ideologies and even prepare attacks, the EU's anti-terrorist coordinator told AFP in an interview in which he urged more regulation

Brussels, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Nov, 2020 ) :Online video games can be used to propagate extremist ideologies and even prepare attacks, the EU's anti-terrorist coordinator told AFP in an interview in which he urged more regulation.

The official, Gilles de Kerchove, made the argument ahead of the European Commission's presentation on December 9 of a proposed Digital Services Act that aims to rein in Big Tech excesses and internet hate speech.

"I'm not saying that all the gaming sector is a problem. There are two billion people playing online, and that's all very well," said de Kerchove, a Belgian appointed to his post 13 years ago.

But, he warned, "you have extreme-right groups in Germany that have come up with games where the aim is to shoot Arabs, or (Hungarian-born US billionaire George) Soros, or Mrs (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel for her migration policy, etc.

" "That can be an alternative way to spread ideology, especially of the extreme right but not only them, a way to launder money... there are currencies created in games that can be exchanged for legal tender," he said.

"It can be a form of communicating. It's encrypted. It can also be a way to test attack scenarios," he continued.

De Kerchove also raised concerns over "algorithmic amplification", where platforms such as Facebook and YouTube put "problematic" and "borderline" content up high, exploiting emotional reactions to boost user engagement.

This is one aspect the EU executive wants to tackle in its Digital Services Act by demanding more transparency from digital titans. The European Parliament is also discussing a proposal which would require content deemed to have a terrorist character deleted online within one hour.