Tech Against Terrorism welcomes appointment of Nicholas J. Rasmussen as executive director of Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT)

Tech Against Terrorism has welcomed the appointment of Nicholas J. Rasmussen as the first full-time executive director of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT). 

The GIFCT is a not-for-profit organisation founded in July 2017 by Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and Google to encourage collaboration and information-sharing about terrorists’ abuse of technology. Microsoft is the current GIFCT chair. 

As a strategic partner of the GIFCT, Tech Against Terrorism has worked with the founding companies of the GIFCT (Facebook, Microsoft, Google, and Twitter) and the United Nations to help build capacity amongst the smaller tech platforms since 2016. Tech Against Terrorism monitors the exploitaiton of the smallest and newest apps and platforms by violent Islamist extremists and the violent far-right and then works with these companies to improve content moderation and provide operational support to help eliminate terrorist use of their services. It also works to mentor companies who have applied for GIFCT membership in order to help them meet the membership criteria.

Nicholas J. Rasmussen is currently Senior Director for National Security and Counterterrorism of the McCain Institute for International Leadership. He previously held high-level roles in government, including Director of the National Counterterrorism Center under both Presidents Obama and Trump.

Adam Hadley, Founder and Director of Tech Against Terrorism said: 

“Mr. Rasmussen is a highly-respected figure who has worked at a senior level under three US Presidents. The fact that he has agreed to serve as GIFCT’s first executive director is evidence of the significant progress the organisation and its members have made since it was founded. It is testament to the serious approach being taken by the large tech  companies. Mr. Rasmussen’s appointment is a statement of intent from the GIFCT and the tech industry, which is committed to collaborating closely with governments, academic institutions, the United Nations and others to better understand how terrorists seek to exploit the internet.”

The GIFCT also announced today the members of its International Advisory Committee, who include the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, Stanford University, the Hewlett Foundation, Swansea University, the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right, the Observer Research Foundation, and the governments of Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the USA, the UK, France, Ghana and Japan. It will meet for the first time (virtually) on 25th June.