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The Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) Crisis Response Working Group (CRWG) was established in April 2020 as part of the GIFCT substantive Working Group structure. The CRWG’s objective is to drive effective collaboration among industry, government, and law enforcement to minimize the spread of terrorist or violent extremist content online stemming from an offline event.

Incident Response Working Group: GIFCT conducted a robust multistakeholder review of its Incident Response Framework (IRF) to better reflect the needs and feedback of key stakeholders and draw on lessons learned from prior activations. Widespread concerns about the potential rise in AI generated content around terrorist attacks, and the increasing prevalence of violence associated with accelerationist movements or self-mobilized radicalization informed discussions aimed at updating the IRF. Working with the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism (CTEC) GIFCT undertook a comprehensive review and expert dialogue series which resulted in the report Future-Proofing GIFCT’s Incident Response: Addressing Societal Harms, and will inform GIFCT work in updating the IRF in 2025.

The Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) Legal Frameworks Working Group brought together a range of different stakeholders, including Government, civil society, technology companies, academics, regulators and practitioners. This paper is intended to capture the range of discussion topics covered by the group, outline the primary issues the group identified, and highlight potential areas for further work and discussion.

The objective of this report is to provide strategic guidance to tech companies, government policy makers, and solution providers in order to increase and improve investment into effective technical approaches that support platforms in tackling the terrorist use of internet services while respecting human rights. While stopping short of providing a detailed roadmap for development, this report aims to provide the overall framework for prioritization of effort given the complex nature of the terrorist threat and the challenges faced by tech companies in adapting to this threat and increased regulatory pressures from governments.

Globalization and international media are potent contributors to the rise of the Islamist global jihad. Widespread digital communication technologies that connect people all over the world are a substantial component of globalization. Over the past three decades, “virtual jihad” has emerged as a potent disseminator of radical religious-political ideologies, instilling fear and fostering instability worldwide. Western and global media, while often misrepresenting Islam and Muslims, have played a significant role in disseminating jihadist ideologies. The involvement of global jihadists (mujāhidīn) across myriad media outlets and platforms has allowed them to promote their agenda around the world. Using the Internet and media outlets, global jihadists are able to attract and recruit people to their ranks in an accelerated manner. Jihadists have engaged in media activities that have empowered and expanded the global jihad movement, even in the face of increased mitigation efforts.