Report
The New Netwar: Countering Extremism Online
September 18, 2023Policy Exchange’s new report provides a comprehensive analysis of the struggle against online jihadist extremism – what we call “the new Netwar”. This issue is vital to UK national security and there is a danger that the blood and treasure we are investing in defeating ISIS in Iraq and Syria will produce little more than ...
Concept Note ICT Special Meeting 2015
September 18, 2023Terrorist groups have proved in recent years that they are particularly adept at utilizing the Internet and social media to facilitate their activities, including incitement to commit a terrorist act, radicalization to violence, recruitment, training, planning, collection of information, communication, preparation, financing and execution of attacks. In addition to Al-Qaida, one terrorist entity that has ...
Managing ‘Threats’: Uses of Social Media for Policing Domestic Extremism and Disorder in the UK
September 18, 2023This project examines the uses of social media for policing domestic extremism and disorder in the UK. The collection and analysis of social media data for the purposes of policing forms part of a broader shift from ‘reactive’ to ‘proactive’ forms of governance in which state bodies engage in big data analysis to predict, preempt ...
New Battlegrounds: Extremist Groups’ Activity on Social Networks in Kosovo, Albania and Fyrom
September 18, 2023Online platforms are used extensively as a propaganda tool to convince young people to support the various groups fighting in Iraq and Syria. Many individuals outside of the conflict partake in propaganda efforts on social media, using their profiles to provide electronic support to ISIS and other extremist groups. An analysis of various profiles indicates ...
The Role of Propaganda in Violent Extremism and how to Counter it
September 18, 2023The 8th Euromed Survey conducted by the European Institute of the Mediterranean touches upon a number of important and complex issues related to violent extremism in the EuroMediterranean region, including the question of the context and drivers through which violent extremism can prosper. Echoing some of the results, this article looks into propaganda as a ...
Mixed Messages? The Limits of Automated Social Media Content Analysis
September 18, 2023Governments and companies are turning to automated tools to make sense of what people post on social media, for everything ranging from hate speech detection to law enforcement investigations. Policymakers routinely call for social media companies to identify and take down hate speech, terrorist propaganda, harassment, “fake news” or disinformation, and other forms of problematic ...
Youth and Violent Extremism on Social Media: Mapping the Research
September 18, 2023Does social media lead vulnerable individuals to resort to violence? Many people believe it does. And they respond with online censorship, surveillance and counter-speech. But what do we really know about the Internet as a cause, and what do we know about the impact of these reactions? All over the world, governments and Internet companies ...
Extreme Far Right Groups’ Use of Social Media: A Focus on Britain First and Reclaim Australia
September 18, 2023This report contains findings from a study that investigated extreme far right groups’ usages of social media. This was a collaborative project building on an existing partnership between the Departments of Linguistics and Criminology at Swansea University, and on the development of a new partnership with the social media analytics company ‘Blurrt’ (www.blurrt.co.uk). The project ...
One to One Online Interventions: A Pilot CVE Methodology
September 18, 2023The internet permeates all aspects of modern life and violent extremism is no exception. Although the level of importance is sometimes disputed, few would deny the role that online communication has in driving people towards violent extremist groups. While there are various perspectives on the exact nature of this process, it is increasingly agreed upon ...
Enhancing the Understanding of the Foreign Terrorist Fighters Phenomenon in Syria
September 18, 2023During the fourth biennial review of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy held in September 2014, Member States expressed concern at the growing phenomenon of Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) in Syria. As a result, the Secretary-General announced that the United Nations Centre for Counter-Terrorism (UNCCT) would, in cooperation with those Member States that wished to participate, gather ...