--- title: "How Facebook Flags Terrorist Content With Machine Learning" description: "Facebook provided more details on how it's using machine learning to combat terrorism-related content on its platform. But does it actually work?" date: "2018-11-12" modified: "2018-11-12" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/facebook-flagging-terrorist-content-machine-learning" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Machine Learning" tags: - "facebook algorithm" - "machine learning" - "terrorism" --- # How Facebook Flags Terrorist Content With Machine Learning ![]() *\Image: Tag Hartman-Simkins\* ## Say No to Terrorism For years, content that promotes terrorism has [thrived on social media]() platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Fighting it is an uphill battle that has forced tech companies to [open war rooms]() and [hire new specialists](). One solution that companies including Facebook are now betting on: machine learning. In a [recent blog post](), the social giant detailed the way it's using the technology to identify content that "may signal support for ISIS or al-Qaeda." ## Bot Moderators Facebook engineered an algorithm that assigns each post a score based on the likelihood that it violates the company's [counterrorism policies](). If that score crosses a certain threshold, the post will be removed immediately without human moderation. The blog post is thin on specific details about how the algorithm's scoring system actually works. That's not entirely surprising: it's a high stakes game of whack-a-mole, and Facebook isn't likely to reveal all of its secrets to the world. ## Unappealing Truth Facebook is quick to admit there is no perfect system — or at least that it hasn't found one yet. Luckily, in April it updated its [appeals process](), in case the algorithms flag false positives. It's a step in the right direction — we know that [neither human moderation nor machine learning algorithms]() alone will be enough to remove all terrorism content from social media. **READ MORE:** [How Facebook uses machine learning to fight ISIS and Al-Qaeda propaganda]() \[*MIT Technology Review*\] **More on terrorism on social media:** [Facebook Needs Humans \*And\* Algorithms To Filter Hate Speech]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()