India joined France, New Zealand, Canada and several other countries in launching a major initiative in Paris on May 15 to combat terrorism and extremism online and secure the Internet. The initiative — ‘Christchurch Call To Action’ — led by French President Emmanuel Macron and New Zealand's premier Jacinda Ardern  was named after the New Zealand city where 51 people were killed in an attack on mosques, officials said.

“A free, open and secure internet is a powerful tool by which to promote connectivity, enhance social inclusiveness and foster economic growth,” the declaration on Christchurch call to action said. It said the internet is, however, not immune from abuse by terrorist and violent extremist actors, and there was a need for collective efforts globally to secure the internet from terror groups.

The call was adopted by US tech companies including Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube. The countries backing it also include Britain, Jordan, Norway, Senegal, Indonesia and the European Union’s executive body. Several other countries not present at the meeting added their endorsement. The White House also said it agreed with the overarching message of the ‘Christchurch Call’ but did not want to endorse it.

The declaration said the Christchurch attack highlighted the urgent need for action and enhanced cooperation among the wide range of actors with influence over this issue, including governments, civil society, and online service providers, such as social media companies, to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online.

The event to launch of the initiative was attended by several world leaders and high-ranking officials including from India, diplomatic sources said. The initiative outlines collective, voluntary commitments from governments and online service providers intended to address the issue of terrorist and violent extremist content online and to prevent the abuse of the internet.

The countries which were of the initiative expressed commitment to ensure effective enforcement of applicable laws that prohibit the production or dissemination of terrorist and violent extremist content, in a manner consistent with the rule of law and international human rights law, including freedom of expression, according to the declaration.

It said they will also to counter the drivers of terrorism and violent extremism by strengthening the resilience and inclusiveness of their societies.