Google’s Eric Schmidt has urged technology companies, governments and individuals to bring their minds together to help prevent the spread of terrorism through the Internet. "We should build tools to help de-escalate tensions on social media – sort of like spell-checkers, but for hate and harassment," he wrote in The New York Times.

While the Internet has provided people with platforms to share their thoughts and connect, Schmidt said that it has also brought with it "serious challenges, like threats to free speech, qualms about surveillance and fears of online terrorist activity". Elaborating on this, he drew attention to the militant group Islamic State's use of social media to gather followers. "We should target social accounts of terrorist groups like the Islamic State and remove videos before they spread, or help those countering terrorist messages to find their voice," he said.

Stating that "authoritarian governments tell their citizens that censorship is necessary for stability", the executive chairman of Google's parent company Alphabet added that "it is our responsibility to demonstrate that stability and free expression go hand in hand".