How to Combat Violent and Extremist Content Online

Originally published July 9, 2019 and updated June 5, 2020. 

On March 15, 2019, the mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand was live-streamed for a world-wide audience. Videos of the attack continued to be uploaded, despite Facebook’s best efforts to remove this harmful content on the internet months after the shooting. As a result, the New Zealand government has introduced a bill that focuses on combating violent and extremist content online using internet filtering. 

Criminals are using platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google to perpetuate hate crimes and attacks on religious and ethnic minorities. They give criminals a free platform on which to amplify their views and target their victims.  

Social media companies, in the wake of terrorist attacks, are acting to remove terrorist content from the Internet; however, it continues to slip through and spread across the world in minutes. Social media executives also face increased pressure based on the results of the latest G20 Summit. Leaders insist that terrorist and violent extremism conducive to terrorism (VECT) content must be removed from social media platforms. The GIFCT (Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism) is doing important work on this front, but more needs to be done. 

Let’s explore how Netsweeper can help block content on a country-wide, worldwide level.

How does it work?

Netsweeper’s country-wide ISP content blocking system can:

  • Provide and implement an Internet content blocking system for online crisis events for your country and the world
  • Centrally manage this for your country and for the world
  • Reciprocate and crowd source content, country to country in milliseconds
  • Create a jurisdictional ring around your country’s virtual networks
  • Centrally block the proliferation of offensive content in milliseconds preventing exponential viral spreading of these extreme videos and web pages
  • Instant blocking of infected malware/virus infected website links with the Netsweeper Crisis Filter Platform preventing DDos attacks, device and network infection
  • Create custom landing pages for blocked domains
  • Assist to determine whether the material is sufficiently serious to warrant blocking
  • Send automated notifications to regulatory bodies
  • Alert a suspect issue or URL visit allowing the eSafety Commissioner to act and get proper warrants to overcome privacy concerns
  • Use the CTIRU list (Counter Terrorism Information Referral Unit) which includes a list of over 5000 terrorism related websites and content
  • Share best practices from the many countries who’ve installed Netsweeper

Want to learn more about our country-wide ISP content blocking system? Contact Netsweeper today.