Tech giants Facebook Inc., Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Twitter Inc. have pledged to get tough on terrorism in a new effort to cull extremist content from their networks.

The idea is that the four companies will create a shared database of “unique digital footprints” that will be known as “hashes.” Hashes refer to content related to terrorism, which could mean the dissemination of images or videos or even content relating to the recruitment of terrorists.

According to a press release, when hashes are detected each member of the group has vowed to “take swift action.” The companies “will begin sharing hashes of the most extreme and egregious terrorist images and videos we have removed from our services — content most likely to violate all of our respective companies’ content policies.”

Because each company’s policies are different content will not be removed automatically, but will be reviewed. Each company said it would continue to apply the practice of transparency and review for any government requests, as well as remain committed to each of their own appeal processes relating to removal decisions and grievances.

This recent move follows many similar initiatives over the last few years in which tech companies, under pressure from governments, have vowed to get tough on terrorism.  This has led to companies creating tools to scan and flag extremist content, but also algorithms created to censor content in general.

Earlier this year it was reported that a secretive meeting was held with top U.S. government officials and big names from Silicon Valley. “The remarkable rendezvous between Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and others and a delegation from the White House revealed a willingness on the part of tech firms to work with the government, and indicated that the Obama administration appears to have concluded it can’t combat terrorists online on its own,” The Guardian reported.

The Guardian said that the government had created a “wish list,” a consensus to make it harder for terrorist organizations to get content on the internet. In spite of the public’s concern with mass surveillance and loss of civil liberties, the technology companies – “run by patriotic Americans,” according to the White House – were open to more collaboration with the government.

Photo credit: Eco Dalla Luna via Flickr