The UK government is threatening to tax technology companies if they do not provide greater co - operation to security agencies in the fight against extremism . Security minister Chris Wallace has accused companies such as Facebook and Google of being " ruthless profiteers " who refuse to give crucial information to the government as it seeks to find potential terrorists . He suggested the rising costs of national security could be recouped through new taxes on the companies . The proposal echoes that of a parliamentary committee that last year advocated fines on websites for failing to take down extremist content .
The UK government is threatening to tax technology companies if they do not offer greater co-operation to security agencies in the fight against extremism. Security minister Ben Wallace has accused companies such as Facebook and Google of being "ruthless profiteers" who refuse to give crucial information to the government as it seeks to find potential terrorists. He suggested the rising costs of added security could be recouped through new taxes on the companies. The proposal echoes that of a parliamentary committee that last year advocated fines on companies for failing to take down extremist content.