Challenge Terrorism And Extremism Online
The Government is asking people who come across terrorist content online to report it through the Directgov website.
In the last year, reporting through Directgov has enabled the Government to remove content including beheading videos, terrorist training manuals and calls for racial or religious violence.
Information leaflets and posters have been issued to every police force in the UK by the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers. The materials advise the public on how to identify and report offensive or illegal content anonymously at www.direct.gov.uk/reportingonlineterrorism.
Websites are then referred to the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit, a specialist team of police experts who work with industry and partners in the UK and abroad, to investigate and share intelligence and take down illegal and in some cases offensive material.
Successes include:
· Removing a number of terrorism related videos encouraging martyrdom operations and associated postings that had been uploaded to a UK based website
· Shutting down a website that provided detailed video instructions into bomb making
· A number of videos which encouraged acts of terrorism were removed from a social networking site
· The removal of a number of videos that were encouraging support for a proscribed terrorist organisation were removed from a social networking site
Security Minister, Baroness Neville-Jones said:
“In this digital age it is vital that the threat of online extremism and the increase in terrorist content on the internet is taken very seriously.
“I would urge anyone who may come across extremist websites and content to take action and report it through the DirectGov webpage or directly to the administrator or hosting company.
“Referrals through the Directgov webpage allow the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit to act with the help of the internet industry and to work with the public to remove unlawful and unacceptable terrorist related material to obstruct terrorist exploitation of the internet.”
Head of the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit, Detective Chief Inspector Jayne Snelgrove said:
“Whilst the internet makes a positive contribution to most people’s lives on a daily basis it can and is used by criminals and terrorists.
“Policing within the environment of the internet is a relatively new area but we are aiming to make it a more hostile place for people who use it for criminal purposes.
“The Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit is focused on material which is used for terrorist purposes or to promote extremist messages that radicalise vulnerable people.
“A lot of what is referred to us by the public may not breach the law; however, we are best placed to conduct that assessment and it’s important that we know the scale and range of material available to the public.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. For more information and to refer content, please visit the DirectGov website: www.direct.gov.uk/reportingonlineterrorism.
2. Illegal terrorist or extremist content can include:
• speeches or essays calling for racial or religious violence
• videos of violence with messages of ‘glorification’ or praise for the attackers
• chat forums with postings calling for people to commit acts of terrorism or violent extremism
• messages intended to stir up hatred against any religious or ethnic group
• bomb-making instructions
3. The Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit is a dedicated team within the Association of Chief Police Officers with the remit to remove unlawful terrorist material from the internet, with a focus on UK based material. It also works with international partners to remove material hosted abroad. The unit provides the police service with a pool of experts who carry out assessments of terrorist and violent extremist material on the internet and take action accordingly.
4. For a video of DCI Jayne Snelgrove giving advice for professionals on the use of the tool, and a copy of the flyer and poster which have been disseminated to forces across the UK, please contact the HO Newsdesk on 0207 035 3535.
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