The International Cyber Terrorism Regulation Project

Global Research Network on Terrorism and Technology Paper

Key Findings

Currently, the regulatory measures studied are characterised by several challenges to enhancing cooperation and effectiveness among stakeholders, including:

• A lack of common definitions of prohibited terrorist internet activity across jurisdictional lines and within jurisdictions for different social media platforms (SMPs).
• The absence in most national jurisdictions of an overarching conceptual and strategic approach to counterterrorism on the internet.
• The development of autonomous corporate policies and measures by those SMPs that are also multinational corporations, which may differ between jurisdictions.

Recommendations

• Effective counterterrorism cooperation requires a multidimensional, multi-stakeholder approach that is not only tactical, but also strategic.
• Small and medium-sized SMPs should be provided with tools and capacity-building measures, including tailored training exercises and ‘how-to’ guides.
• Diverse modes of information sharing of regulatory measures and practices should be implemented. The ICTRP website, which is one outcome of the research, may serve as an example of a platform for transparent and trusted information exchange.
• All stakeholders should optimise joint use of technological tools that aid in countering terrorist abuse of the internet, with appropriate oversight and rule of law constraints.
• Further attention should be given to regulation and multi-stakeholder cooperation regarding terrorist abuse of the internet that results in physical destruction and damage, including the loss of life (acts of cyber terrorism per se). The potential damage of what may be currently characterised as a ‘black swan event’ demands the attention of regulators and, indeed, all stakeholders engaged with online and physical-world counterterrorism.

Deborah Housen-Couriel is a Research Associate at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) and an Adjunct Professor at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya, Israel.

Boaz Ganor is the Founder and Executive Director of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT). He also serves as the Dean and Ronald S Lauder Chair in Counter-Terrorism of the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya, Israel.

Uri Ben Yaakov is the Director of Development and a Senior Researcher at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya, Israel.

Stevie Weinberg is the Deputy Executive Director of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya, Israel.

Dafne Beri is a Researcher and Project Coordinator at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya, Israel.

The authors would like to thank the group of expert peer reviewers who assisted with the initial stage of research. The full list of these experts appears on the ICTRP website.

The full annexes of the paper are available at: https://www.ictrp.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Please-find-here-the-f…