White House officials seek help from Silicon Valley to curb terrorist propaganda

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU) - Top national security officials are enlisting the help of some of Silicon Valley's biggest names to fight terrorism. They met behind closed doors at the U.S. Patent Office in San Jose Friday.

While no major announcement or agreement came out of the meeting, cyber security experts said it spoke volumes White House officials came to Silicon Valley.

Senior Obama administration officials and some of Silicon Valley's leading tech executives remained tightlipped, hoping to to find common ground to slow the spread of terrorist propaganda. Among those in attendance at the high profile meeting included Attorney General Loretta Lynch along with Apple CEO Tim Cook and senior executives from Google, Facebook and Yahoo.

The government is seeking help to stop ISIS recruiting online and to prevent organized terrorist activities, considered a priority in the wake of the San Bernardino shootings and Paris attacks.

"It's great to see tech companies willing to talk with government officials to see in ways they can be of assistant in combating terrorism," said Bryce Westlake, assistant professor of San Jose State University's Department of Justice Studies.

Westlake studies cyber crime at San Jose State University. He called the meeting, a good sign given the federal government and tech companies have clashed over privacy concerns and free speech.

"You have tech companies that can adapt things or nothing changes so the communication is always good because that communication can lead to positive change," said Westlake.

None of the tech companies commented on the meeting. However, in a statement, Facebook said the meeting confirmed the company is united with the government to keep terrorists and terror-promoting material off the internet.