The Obama administration is seeking the help of tech companies to stop the Islamic State (ISIS) from its social media messaging propaganda, CNN reported.
A meeting conducted at the Justice Department on Wednesday was attended by executives from Apple, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and MTV who gave their inputs to intelligence officials, the report said.
The agenda for the meeting labeled the project "Madison Valleywood," referring to the metonyms for American advertising, technology and entertainment sectors.
According to Nick Rasmussen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, the Obama administration is making strides to counter ISIS on social media, which is used by the terror group to recruit and inspire potential lone wolf assailants to carry out attacks.
"We've seen more aggressive takedowns across social media platforms, which is a really good thing," a source quoted Rasmussen as saying at the meeting.
Apple has been battling the Obama administration over the issue of unlocking the iPhone used by the suspect in the San Bernardino attacks last year.
The agenda for the meeting obtained by CNN showed nearly 50 technology firms and community groups were present together with U.S. government agencies including the Justice Department, the National Security Council and the State Department.
It also listed the British Embassy as a participant.
The agenda focused on briefing technology companies about ISIS's messaging and developing plans to battle the propaganda with "counter-narratives and optimistic messaging."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry went to Los Angeles last week to meet with studio heads to "hear their perspectives and ideas of how to counter" ISIS messaging.
Last January, administration representatives went to Silicon Valley to urge against the use of social media to recruit terrorists. Last month, Twitter said it was closing down 125,000 ISIS-related accounts.
Abu Hurriya, not his real name, was released from prison last year after he was convicted of being a propagandist for al Qaeda in the U.S. who helped recruit hundreds of Americans.
He told CNN that he was once a lost, young man who became a seeker and went through the radicalisation process like many young people today.
"I can put myself in their shoes because I was once in them," he said. "I don't justify it because I don't think you can justify it, but at the end of the day I understand how they can get to that point. They're young and vulnerable. It's the same way that a kid in the ghetto joins a gang."
