Tech giants to meet with Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer on October 2

The tech giants Google, Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok have all agreed to attend a meeting with Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer, as confirmed by Strömmer’s press secretary. The meeting is scheduled for October 2.

In response to inquiries, TikTok stated they have no comments for the moment but look forward to collaborating with the Justice Minister. Cees van Koppen, Snapchat’s policy chief for the Nordic region, expressed anticipation for the meeting, emphasizing their commitment to combating illegal activities on their platform.

The invitation comes after Strömmer’s recent meeting with Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard in Copenhagen, which was prompted by a rise in violent incidents in Denmark linked to Swedish gang activity. Both ministers agreed on the need to intensify efforts against digital platforms exploited by gangs and to apply pressure on tech companies to curb the use of their channels for organized crime.

Discussions with the tech firms have reportedly been ongoing for some time, with the initial invitation from the Justice Department sent out during the summer. In June, Strömmer communicated details about the meeting, emphasizing topics related to the recruitment of children and youth into criminality through online platforms.

Notably, Telegram was not invited to the meeting, despite Hummelgaard’s strong remarks about the platform in earlier statements, where he highlighted the presence of catalogues listing prices for various criminal activities.