Minister explains Rudd's 'necessary hashtags' after week of confusion

Home Office minister says home secretary was talking about hashes, which are used to detect recurring images or videos online

The Home Office has clarified what Amber Rudd meant when she suggested the government would hire people who "understand the necessary hashtags" as part of the government's fight against extremist material online.

Prompted by a parliamentary question from Labour MP Louise Haigh, Home Office undersecretary Sarah Newton MP said: "The home secretary was referring to image hashing, the process of detecting the recurrence an image or video online.