RUSI (The Royal United Services Institute) has created a new consortium of academic institutions and think tanks who will work together to do research on terrorist content online. They will also be discussing the various techniques terrorists use online.
This new consortium will have a lot of work on their hands. As mentioned, they will be researching terrorist content online but they will also discuss the ethical issues of removing that content, exploring recruiting techniques and also creating public-private partnerships to address the issue. For those unfamiliar with the organisation, RUSI is a British institution but operates with an international perspective. Satellite offices in Doha and Washington DC reinforce their global reach.”We have amassed over the years an outstanding reputation for quality and objectivity. Our heritage, location at the heart of Whitehall, together with our range of contacts both inside and outside government, but always strictly independent of it, give RUSI a unique insight and authority.”
The initiative is being done on behalf of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT). Four of the biggest tech companies have teamed up to form GIFCT – Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter. RUSI’s consortium partners include Brookings, ICCT-The Hague, Swansea University, plus a selection of regional research institutes. The main objective of GIFCT is to substantially disrupt terrorists’ ability to promote terrorism, disseminate violent extremist propaganda and exploit or glorify real-world acts of violence using their platforms. This organisation has pledged to preserve human rights that are taken away by online terrorism. Free expression, the role of journalism and user privacy are their main focuses.
