US: Family of Paris attack victim sues Internet companies for ‘enabling’ ISIS propaganda

The family of an American woman killed in last year’s Paris terror attacks has sued Internet giants Google, Facebook and Twitter, claiming they give “material support” to ISIS.

Nohemi Gonzalez’s family filed a lawsuit last week in San Francisco, calling on the court to find that the companies violated the US Anti-Terrorism Act and to make a payout for compensatory damages.

The lawsuit states: “For years, defendants have knowingly permitted the terrorist group ISIS to use their social networks as a tool for spreading extremist propaganda, raising funds and attracting new recruits.”

It adds the material support given to ISIS has allowed it to recruit people and carry out attacks such as those in Paris.

In statement, Google said: “We have clear policies prohibiting terrorist recruitment and content intending to incite violence and quickly remove videos violating these policies when flagged by our users.”

“We also terminate accounts run by terrorist organizations or those that repeatedly violate our policies.”

Facebook, meanwhile, said: “There is no place for terrorists or content that promotes or supports terrorism on Facebook, and we work aggressively to remove such content as soon as we become aware of it.”

But the lawsuit states the companies ignored requests from the US government and the public to stop servicing Islamic State.

It adds: “Without defendants Twitter, Facebook, and Google (YouTube), the explosive growth of ISIS over the last few years into the most-feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible.”

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