Denmark urges tech giants not to allow their social media platforms to become crime havens

PRAGUE, Czech Republic

Denmark demanded on Friday that tech giants live up to their responsibilities by not allowing their social media platforms to become a haven for organized crime.

Denmark's Justice Ministry issued a statement ahead of an important meeting between Nordic ministers and representatives from Google, Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok, which is scheduled for Friday afternoon in Uppsala, Sweden.

"My Nordic colleagues and I agree that a united front is required to deal with this issue. Part of that is to insist that the tech giants live up to their responsibilities so that their platforms do not serve as hotbeds for serious crime," Denmark's Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said in the statement.

The minister expressed concern over reports of gangs using social media and encrypted messaging services to plan serious crimes and recruit very young people to do the dirty work.

"On some platforms, violence and homicide are simply offered as job postings for our children and young people," he explained. "That is why I am also looking forward to the meeting later today, where we will have the opportunity to discuss just that with representatives from the industry," he said.

Earlier in August, Danish police official Torben Svarrer revealed that law enforcement authorities have come across cases of Swedish teenagers committing serious crimes in Denmark in exchange for large sums of money.

"We have seen that criminals are looking for people willing to commit serious crimes on social media and that young Swedes unfortunately are agreeing to do so for payment," he said.