The European Union has lost patience with technology companies and will legislate to force them to remove terrorist propaganda from their services.

The EU said in March that it favoured a "voluntary approach" but would force businesses' hands if they did not crack down more effectively.

Julian King, the EU's commissioner for security, told the Financial Times that Brussels had "not seen enough progress" on the removal of such material and would "take stronger action to better protect our citizens".

He warned that policymakers could not "become complacent" when facing such as "shadowy and destructive" foe.

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A senior official said rules were being drafted but tech companies would probably face a one-hour deadline to remove material flagged as terrorist content by law enforcement bodies.

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Websites such as Facebook and You-Tube have invested in automated screening tools and human reviewers to remove terrorist content after investigations found Islamic State propaganda and bomb-making videos.

Last month a study by the Counter Extremism Project found that despite Google's efforts, 1,348 videos supporting Isis were uploaded to YouTube between March and June, gaining 163,000 views.

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The Computer & Communications Industry Association, which represents businesses such as Google and Facebook, has warned that a one-hour takedown deadline is too tight.