Tech Against Terrorism

How to best regulate the online sphere will be amongst the most important topics of the upcoming decade. Up until recently, laws have been in place that serve to mostly shield digital intermediaries from liability for third-party illegal content on their platform. Since 2016 however, in response to mounting concerns over the criminal misuse of the internet and a surge in noxious content online, th...

“You can sit at home and play Call of Duty or you can come and respond to the real Call of Duty…the choice is yours.” This was tweeted by a well-known ISIS hacker and propagandist. Gaming culture and popular video games, such as Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, have become exploited by terrorist and violent extremist actors for propaganda and radicalisation purposes. Join Maygane Janin and Flor...

During the recent protests against the coronavirus lockdown in the US, a protester was spotted with a flyer referring to “Boogaloo”, a popular far-right violent extremist slang term calling for a new civil war that has turned into a meme culture of its own amongst violent extremists. One year earlier, before attacking two mosques and killing 51 people, the Christchurch shooter posted on messaging...

The Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM) is a neo-Nazi organisation that was originally founded in Sweden. The movement, which is openly anti-semitic, anti-immigration and anti-gay, aims to dismantle Nordic parliamentary democracies and replace them with a unified Nordic fascist state. Join Flora Deverell and Jacob Berntsson as they discuss NRM’s growing influence with guest Jonathan Leman, a research...

In the case of the recent terrorist attack in Christchurch, British and Australian tabloids were instrumental in making the gunman’s attack video and manifesto go viral. There have been a number of occasions where the work of the tech sector to take down extremist content from online platforms has been undermined by mainstream media outlets. Join Lorand Bodo as he speaks to Kyle Taylor, executive...

Although terrorist and extremist groups largely use traditional methods to fund their activities, the anonymity cryptocurrency affords is becoming an increasingly attractive alternative. Join Adam Hadley and Lorand Bodo as they speak to Nick Furneaux, author of ‘Investigating Cryptocurrencies’, Florence Keen, research fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King’s Col...

Effective analysis of publicly available information is critical in countering terrorist use of the internet. But just as open source intelligence can used as a tool for good, would-be terrorists can also exploit the data to plan attacks. Join Adam Hadley and Lorand Bodo as they speak to Benjamin Strick, an open-source investigator for BBC Africa Eye, Nico, a.k.a ‘DutchOSINTGuy’, a former police o...

Human rights experts around the world have warned that the rush to tackle terrorist activity online has had worrying implications for fundamental human rights and freedom of speech. How do we differentiate between ‘free speech’ and speech that aims to incite violence? In this episode we find out how governments and tech platforms are attempting to strike a balance between protecting our safety, an...

Whether it’s a manifesto posted on 8chan or an attack video uploaded to Facebook, terrorists and right-wing extremists are increasingly using the internet as a way to spread their hate-filled messages. In this episode, we find out how these groups are exploiting an entire tech ecosystem, and what is being done to combat it. Join Adam Hadley and Lorand Bodo as they speak to Matthew Feldman, directo...