On the margins of a conference in Geneva on the prevention of violent extremism on 7-8 April 2016, a joint project was launched on private sector engagement in responding to terrorists’ use of information and communications technologies (ICT). Behind the project are the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the Swiss non-governmental organization ICT4国产AV.
Through the project, CTED and ICT4国产AV will work with the private sector and civil society to deepen the understanding of current industry responses to terrorists’ use of their products and services, particularly with regard to content, and identify good practices. The ultimate objective of the project is to establish a forum through which these same practices and experiences can be discussed and shared with a greater number of actors. To reach that objective, a series of workshops will be held over the next few months in Europe, Asia, and the Americas with the aim of engaging industry and civil society actors. Initial progress will be presented to the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee later this year.
Present at the launch was a number of industry representatives, including Microsoft, Facebook, Ask.FM, Google, Kaspersky Labs, as well as representatives from United Nations’ counter-terrorism and human rights entities, EU Home Affairs, EUROPOL’s Internet Referral Unit, and representatives of multi-stakeholder initiatives, companies, and think-tanks such as the Global Network Initiative, the Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre at Oxford’s Martin School, SECDEV Canada, and the Institute for Strategic and International Studies in Malaysia.