The White House on Wednesday declined to join a global call to fight online terror, citing concerns about freedom of speech but in the process stoking a new controversy over its response to extremism.

The move drew condemnation from lawmakers on Capitol Hill who have been calling for tech giants to rein in the scourge of potentially radicalizing material on their platforms in the wake of the livestreamed attacks on worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March.

“It’s disappointing that once again the White House wants to put the U.S. at odds with our allies in establishing reasonable global internet norms,” Sen. Mark Warner Mark Robert WarnerDemocrats call for declassifying election threats after briefing by Trump officials It's time to upgrade benefits Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings MORE (D-Va.), a vocal tech industry critic, told The Hill in a statement.

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The White House’s decision to opt out puts the U.S. at odds with France, Canada, the European Union and the rest of the 17 countries that signed on to the so-called Christchurch Call, the largest-ever international campaign against online extremism and terrorist content to date.

Facebook, Google, Twitter and YouTube — all American companies — also signed on to the nonbinding pledge, which was unveiled at a summit with global leaders in Paris on Wednesday.

President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE did not attend the Paris gathering, which was spearheaded by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel MacronNavalny released from hospital after suspected poisoning US-China tensions shadow United Nations meeting The US is missing an opportunity in Lebanon MORE. British Prime Minister Theresa May Theresa Mary MayAre US-Japan relations on the rocks? Trump insulted UK's May, called Germany's Merkel 'stupid' in calls: report Bolton says Boris Johnson is 'playing Trump like a fiddle' MORE and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James TrudeauCanada says former ambassador to US violated conflict-of-interest law No new Canadian COVID-19 deaths reported for first time since mid-March Trudeau announces millions for first 'Black Entrepreneurship Program' MORE were in attendance, as well as top tech executives including Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Microsoft President Brad Smith.

The Christchurch Call asks the top social media companies to step up their efforts to investigate and remove toxic online content from their platforms, urging them to commit to share more information about online terrorism with government authorities and study whether their algorithms push users toward extreme content.

The effort comes after footage of the New Zealand shooting spread quickly across Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other major platforms earlier this year. The social media giants scrambled to remove the 17-minute livestream, but the video took on a life of its own, with users at some points uploading and sharing clips as quickly as once per second.

Since then, lawmakers and regulators around the world have pledged to crack down on extremist content, particularly from white supremacists, and have pressed the companies to take concrete actions or face penalties.

But the U.S. has walked a finer line, citing concerns over freedom of expression and signaling it is more hesitant than other countries to call for the outright removal of certain content.

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The White House in a statement said that while it stands with the international community in “condemning terrorist and violent extremist content online,” it is not currently “in a position to join the endorsement.”

The White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy said in the statement that it believes the “best tool to defeat terrorist speech is productive speech.”

“We maintain that the best tool to defeat terrorist speech is productive speech, and thus we emphasize the importance of promoting credible, alternative narratives as the primary means by which we can defeat terrorist messaging,” the statement reads.

“We encourage technology companies to enforce their terms of service and community standards that forbid the use of their platforms for terrorist purposes,” it added.

The decision, though, could open up the Trump administration to criticism it is not doing enough to combat white supremacists.

Rep. Mike Rogers Michael (Mike) Dennis RogersDemocrats slam DHS chief for defying subpoena for testimony on worldwide threats Remembering 9/11 as we evaluate today's emerging threats Hillicon Valley: Tech CEOs brace for House grilling | Senate GOP faces backlash over election funds | Twitter limits Trump Jr.'s account MORE (R-Ala.), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, in a statement praised the companies that signed on to the pledge but did not mention the White House’s decision to keep the U.S. out of it.

“I applaud these companies for taking new steps in light of the recent acts of violence,” Rogers said, raising concerns about “fringe websites,” such as 8chan and Gab, which have been connected to the Christchurch shooting and other attacks by white supremacists.

The Anti-Defamation League in a statement said the decision indicates the U.S. is “falling behind” on addressing the “global terror threat” of white supremacy.

“It is incredibly discouraging that the U.S. government seems unwilling to even take part in these discussions and explore possibilities to counter this scourge,” the ADL said in the statement.

Critics have been raising concerns over the Trump administration’s treatment of white extremist violence, and lawmakers at a House hearing on domestic terrorism last week urged representatives with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to ramp up their efforts to address the proliferating white supremacist and neo-Nazi movements online.

Rep. Bennie Thompson Bennie Gordon ThompsonHouse panel pans ICE detention medical care, oversight Senate to hold nomination hearing for Wolf next week Hillicon Valley: FBI chief says Russia is trying to interfere in election to undermine Biden | Treasury Dept. sanctions Iranian government-backed hackers MORE (D-Miss.), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee — which has been pressing tech companies over the issue of online terrorist content — told The Hill that he believes the White House’s decision stems from a reluctance to crack down on right-wing extremists.

“I’m not surprised,” Thompson said. “They’ve demonstrated that ... anything remotely related to right-wing terrorism, they’re just reluctant to be critical.”

Lara Pham, the deputy director of the Counter Extremism Project, called the White House’s move “disappointing.”

“It obviously indicates that unfortunately the U.S. in many ways is still behind other countries on this issue,” Pham said.

Governments in London, Paris and Berlin have been working on legislation that would force tech companies to monitor their platforms or else face steep penalties. But in the U.S., there is no similar congressional push.

Twitter, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Amazon on Wednesday announced an additional set of commitments to accompany the Christchurch Call. In a statement, the companies vowed to coordinate their efforts against terrorist and extremist content, establish specific guidelines against the harmful material, invest in technology to automatically remove violent extremist content and more.

“The terrorist attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March were a horrifying tragedy,” the companies wrote in a joint statement. “And so it is right that we come together, resolute in our commitment to ensure we are doing all we can to fight the hatred and extremism that lead to terrorist violence.”

The companies already do much of what they laid out in the statement, but Pham said the most “interesting” piece is the commitment to provide more oversight over livestreaming.

Facebook on Wednesday announced that it will start restricting the use of its livestreaming feature for users who violate its content policies.

Facebook Live has been a controversial feature since its inception years ago, and it has been used to publicize acts of violence multiple times. Some critics have called for Facebook to remove the livestreaming tool altogether.

The Christchurch Call is a nonbinding, voluntary pledge, and each government is being encouraged to draw up their own plans to deal with violent content online.

Pham told The Hill that she hopes the document will be regarded as a “framework for regulation in the future.”

But on Capitol Hill, Democrats are warning that they could take action if companies do not adhere to their promises.

“I think as legislators, we have to send a message that if you’re not going to do it as a good business practice, Congress is going to have to step in,” Thompson said.