Policy Leaders Forum Hosts Facebook’s Counterterrorism Chief
Monika Bickert, Head of Global Policy at Facebook, was hosted by the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University on October 25, 2017 for a wide-ranging discussion on how Facebook combats the complex issues of extremism, hate speech, and counterterrorism.
The event was part of the Policy Leaders Forum series at the Pardee School that brings senior international policy makers to Boston University for important policy conversations with guests including faculty, students and experts from across Boston University.
A reception and dinner allowed guests to more personally interact and meet Bickert and was followed by a discussion on how social networks are dealing with issues of hate, extremism, and terrorism on their platforms.
The discussion began with opening remarks from Bickert on how Facebook deals with issues of extremism, terror and hate and how the global reach, scale and speed of social media makes this a daunting enterprise. This was followed by a wide-ranging question and answer session with the selected guests, most of whom themselves work on this and related issues.
As Facebook’s Head of Global Policy, Bickert manages the policies for what type of content can be shared on Facebook and how advertisers and developers can interact with the site. She was previously resident legal advisor at the U.S. embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, where she specialized in Southeast Asian rule-of-law development and response to child exploitation and human trafficking. She has also served as assistant U.S. attorney for 11 years in Washington, DC, and Chicago, prosecuting federal crimes ranging from public corruption to gang-related violence.
The Policy Leaders @BUPardeeSchool series brings senior international policymakers to Boston University for conversations with faculty, students and guests. Previous speakers in the series have included Senator Daniel Coats, the United States Director for National Intelligence; Dr. Rukakana Rugunda, Prime Minister of Uganda; Steve Beshear, the former Governor of Kentucky; Dr. Woo Yoon-keun, Secretary General on the National Assembly of South Korea; and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).