NZ Ardern’s Christchurch Call anti-online hate project will get new technology investment, he says.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (not pictured) during a joint news conference at the Commonwealth Parliament offices in Sydney, Australia, July 8, 2022. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File photo

WELLINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) – New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern A new research initiative has been announced by an international project to tackle online hate following the 2019 white supremacist massacre in Christchurch.

Ardern said in a statement that, like the Christchurch Call initiative, New Zealand, the United States, Twitter ( TWTR.N ) and Microsoft ( MSFT.O ) will invest an undisclosed sum to develop new technology aimed at helping researchers understand how algorithms work. It affects the experience of internet users.

Partners in the initiative will build and test privacy-enhancing technologies to build and test privacy-enhancing technologies, once proven, they will lay the foundation for infrastructure to support independent research into algorithmic impacts, the statement said.

“This initiative will not only tell us everything we need to know about the results that are being driven by online algorithms, it will help researchers better access data to help us answer these questions,” the statement said.

The Christchurch call was launched by Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron after 51 people were killed in the New Zealand city after the gunman’s attack was broadcast live on the Meta (meta.o) Facebook platform.

From the 2021 summit, new industry sponsors and partners have joined initiatives including gaming platform Roblox ( RBLX.N ), video conference site Zoom ( 6694.T ), global community engagement and resilience, Christchurch Calling said in a joint statement. Funding and Technology Against Terrorism.

However, many online service providers remain outside the call, citing some anonymous firms that refuse to commit to joining.

Reporting by Lucy Kramer; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell

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