Tech Against Terrorism

This week, we look back at some of the key trends and developments in terrorist and violent extremist use of the internet in 2022. We’ll be sharing findings from our “state of play” report which highlights shifts in terrorist behaviour and tactics online.  Join Anne Craanen as she speaks to Tech Against Terrorism’s Charley, Rory and Arthur about developments in Islamist and far-right terrorist exp...

This week, we’re exploring the topic of online misogyny. With gender-based abuse in online spaces becoming a growing problem, we explore why misogynist views are so prominent online, the emotional impact of online harms, and what tech platforms can do to counter violent misogynistic content and protect victims from abuse. We also explore why misogyny is so prevalent in extremist networks online, n...

This week, we’re exploring the topic of researcher safety and mental health, focusing on the particular difficulties facing those working with terrorist or violent extremist content.  We ask whether there’s enough awareness around the subject, and what can be done, both individually and institutionally, to protect the emotional wellbeing and safety of counterterrorism researchers and practitioners...

This week on the Tech Against Terrorism podcast, we’re taking you behind the scenes to learn more about the work of our Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) Analysts who are responsible for tracking, analysing and alerting terrorist and violent extremist activity online. We share what a typical day in the life of an OSINT analyst looks like, some of the safety, ethical and mental health considerations...

This week on the Tech Against Terrorism podcast we’re exploring the decentralised web. We discuss what the decentralised web is, its potential benefits for users, and whether terrorists and violent extremists are exploiting these technologies. We also consider future threats relating to exploitation of the decentralised web, and how tech companies building this technology can mitigate this by deve...

This week on the Tech Against Terrorism podcast we’re exploring the threat of terrorist operated websites (TOWs). We discuss what TOWs are, what features they offer, and what role they play in wider terrorist and violent extremist exploitation of the internet.  We also discuss why removing websites is so legally and ethically complicated and requires multi-stakeholder solutions. Finally, we outlin...

Welcome back to the Tech Against Terrorism podcast. For our first episode back, we’re taking a deep dive into the dark web. We discuss what the dark web is, who’s using it, plus consider the extent to which it’s exploited by terrorist actors. We also discuss how the dark web is regulated, consider future threats and whether it’s an area the tech sector and policymakers should be prioritising.  Joi...

The Tech Against Terrorism podcast is returning on Thursday 13th October. Join us every other week as we unpick how terrorists and violent extremists are exploiting the darkest corners of the internet and what can be done to support the tech sector to disrupt this threat.

For the final episode of Season 2 of the podcast we’re taking a closer look at a tool developed by Tech Against Terrorism called the Terrorist Content Analytics Platform (TCAP). We learn what the TCAP is, why it was set up, and how it’s used to automate the swift detection and removal of verified terrorist content on tech platforms. During the episode, Mariusz Żurawek explains how he struggled to...

On this week’s episode, we’re exploring the role of automated solutions and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in tackling terrorist and violent extremist content and activity online. With the help of our expert guests, we delve into the historical use of machine learning algorithms for content moderation purposes, look at how they’ve developed over the last decade or so, and discuss their potential goi...

This week we’re bringing you a special episode investigating the conflict in Ukraine. We unpack the truth around violent extremist elements operating in Ukraine amid the online information war that’s been unfolding. We speak to experts who expose the Russian claims of denazification as state-sponsored disinformation, and interrogate the reality of the violent far-right presence and influence of fo...

On this week’s episode of the podcast, we’re looking at terrorist designation. We analyse different countries’ designation systems and discuss how they can be improved. We consider the role designation plays in the fight against terrorism and how it can be used as a tool to tackle terrorist content online.  Anne Craanen is joined by two experts on designation, firstly Dr. Anna Meier who is an Assi...

On this week’s episode of the podcast, we’re looking at online regulation. We consider why regulation is so important, how the landscape has evolved, and focus on some of the specific challenges around regulating terrorist content online. We also touch on influential regulation that’s been recently adopted as well as regulation that’s currently being considered, including the UK’s Online Safety Bi...

Welcome back to part 2 of our deep dive into tech platform policy around countering terrorism and violent extremism. In this episode, we’re getting insight from Zoom and Clubhouse into how their community standards have been developed with tackling harmful content in mind. In this episode, Anne Craanen speaks to Jessica Mason, Head of Global Policy and Public Affairs at Clubhouse, and Josh Parecki...

Welcome to part 1 of our deep dive into tech platform policy around countering terrorism and violent extremism. There’s a slightly different format this week, as we first chat to Charlotte Willner who gives us some context into the evolution of moderating terrorist content before we get a tech platform perspective on how these challenges look today. In part 1, Anne Craanen speaks to Charlotte Will...

In this week’s episode, we’re looking into how violent Islamist groups exploit the internet, how this has evolved in the last decade, and why these online networks are so resilient to content moderation efforts. We also share some of the things we’re doing here at Tech Against Terrorism to counter this threat and consider what tech companies and governments can do to help.  Join Anne Craanen as sh...

In this week’s episode, we’re exploring the violent far-right’s use of the internet. We learn what is meant by the ‘far-right’, how different platforms are exploited by violent far-right actors, and the constant evolution of violent far-right content and its online dissemination. We also address some of the challenges moderators and tech platforms face when it comes to monitoring and taking down v...

This week, we’re discussing the role of the internet in the radicalisation of terrorists and violent extremists. We learn what radicalisation is, debunk some of the myths surrounding it, and explore how the online and offline worlds interact in radicalising an individual. We’ll also touch on a range of case studies and consider what tech companies and governments can do to combat online radicalisa...

In this episode, we discuss Islamic State’s large-scale attack on Ghuwayran prison in north-eastern Syria to break out jailed IS fighters, focusing on the extent to which the event translated into a propaganda victory for the group.  During the episode, we uncover how the prison break played out both online and offline, the reaction from online IS supporter networks, and the effect of these kinds...

In this episode, we learn about violent far-right groups who are using the internet to plan and carry out real-world attacks. We hear how dangerous these fringe online communities really are and the work that’s going on behind the scenes to tackle this threat. Join Anne Craanen as she speaks to Alex Newhouse, Deputy Director of the Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism (CTEC) and Dir...

In this episode, we’re exploring how the Taliban’s use of the internet and social media has evolved following their takeover of Afghanistan. We also explore how this compares with wider terrorist use of the internet, and the implications for tech companies moderating this content. Join Anne Craanen as she speaks to Charlie Winter, one of the world’s leading experts on terrorist propaganda. He is D...

Tech Against Terrorism is back with season two of the podcast. Join us for a weekly deep dive into the evolving use of the internet by terrorists and violent extremists, how this relates to real world harms, and what can be done to support the tech sector to disrupt this threat.

Incels are members of an online subculture who define themselves as unable to find a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one and can be characterised by their hatred towards women. Over the last 10 years, attacks claimed by individuals propagating an incel ideology have claimed the lives of almost 50 people, with an average of 8 per attack. Whilst incel attacks often attract a great deal o...

In this episode, we discuss why accelerationism has become a flagship doctrine of far-right violent extremism. To help us comprehend what accelerationism is and how it is reflected in the online sphere, Maygane Janin and Adam Hadley are joined by Professor Matthew Feldmann, Director of the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right (CARR), and an expert on fascist ideology, neo-Nazism and “lone acto...

Across the ideological spectrum, there are misconceptions and oversimplifications when it comes to discussing the role of women in terrorist organisations. From the perception that women are groomed into joining violent extremist groups and can therefore be presumed innocent, to the notion that a woman’s role in a terrorist organisation is secondary simply because she is less likely to be the one...