Shedding Light on Terrorist and Extremist Content Removal

Isabelle van der Vegt, Paul Gill, Stuart Macdonald and Bennett Kleinberg
Other Publications, 3 July 2019
Cyber, The Global Research Network on Terrorism and Technology, Terrorism

This paper offers a unique view on current practices and challenges regarding terrorist and extremist content removal from social media platforms, focusing particularly on human-based and automated approaches and the integration of the two.

Download the Paper

Global Research Network on Terrorism and Technology Paper

Summary of Recommendations

The major technology platforms should begin developing hybrid systems (if they have not done so already) for their own and others’ use.
Technology companies should actively promote the availability, effectiveness and transparency of appeal procedures. This includes providing to users as full an explanation as possible of why their content was removed.
The GIFCT shared database of hashes – which focuses on ‘the most extreme and egregious terrorist images and videos’ – should be expanded to include more borderline content.

Isabelle van der Vegt is a PhD candidate in the Department of Security and Crime Science at University College London.

Paul Gill is a Professor in the Department of Security and Crime Science at Univeristy College London.

Stuart Macdonald is a Professor of Law in the School of Law at Swansea University.

Bennett Kleinberg is a Lecturer in the Department of Security and Crime Science at University College London.