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Press release: Tech Against Terrorism chairing the GIFCT Technical Approaches Working Group

Written by Claudia Wagner | May 1, 2020 11:27:58 AM

1 May 2020 

Tech Against Terrorism is pleased to announce that we are chairing the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism’s (GIFCT) working group on “technical approaches”. The GIFCT is the industry counter-terrorism body founded by a coalition of Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon. In doing so we will identify opportunities for the innovative deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced analytics in identifying terrorist content and supporting platforms in effectively moderating terrorist content. 

The technical approaches working group will pioneer the development and deployment of data-driven solutions aimed at preventing and disrupting the terrorist use of the internet, and will facilitate best practice sharing between tech companies, data scientists, developers, academics, and civil society groups in identifying human rights compliant solutions to tackle terrorist use of the internet.  

In line with Tech Against Terrorism’s mission and its longstanding work on knowledge-sharing and tech company mentorship, our primary focus is on supporting smaller internet platforms most vulnerable to exploitation by terrorists and violent extremists. Tech Against Terrorism will bring its experience of development and data science projects – including the Terrorist Content Analytics Platform (TCAP) and our work in password-protecting the academic blog Jihadology.net – to this new capacity. 

In the first phase of the work we will be launching a public consultation and carrying out a “landscape review” of existing technologies in order to identify gaps for future investment in this area. 

The GIFCT working groups will coordinate activity across 6 thematic areas and deliver substantive programmes of work. Other working groups will cover areas such as transparency, crisis response, algorithmic outcomes, legal frameworks, and academic research. The working groups will be a core part of the GIFCT as it is becoming an independent organisation. 

For inquiries, please contact Tech Against Terrorism on contact@techagainstterrorism.org.