i'm steve knapp. it is a tour to global partnership to counter online radicalization and extremism. i would like to welcome officials of the united states government including representatives of the departments of state, justice and homeland security and federal bureau of investigation as well as officials from allied governments and our guests from the technology internet and media sectors. this conference was over two years in the planning. i originally discussed the idea with our honorary doctor shortly after she was appointed minister of safety and security for the united kingdom in may of 2015. you'll have the privilege of hearing from her in a few moments. the idea we discussed was to don convenience a global conference with experts in the field about the challenge of radicalization as a global phenomenon significantly driven by the internet. is a timely conversation but especially this week. i did have an opportunity to extend over the weekend our condolences for the tragic events that took place in london last week. here in george washington it builds on the ground breaking work on our program on extremism in our center for cyber and homeland security. the programs experts regularly testify on capitol hill and are featured in publications and numerous media outlets. hughes was on cbs's 60 minutes. many others has identified the need for policies that will counter when it is still in its infancy and to take into account the international scope of the problem. now it's my pleasure to welcome the director on extremism. he is an expert on islamist movements in north america whose research focuses on policies countering radicalization and on the activities of muslim brotherhood. he earned a law degree and dock trait from fletcher school of law andy ploemt si. he has held positions at harvard university for science and internation until affairs at the kennedy and the center for security studies at the swiss federal institute of technology. in 2016 he was appointed by italian prime minister as coordinator of the national commission on jihadist. please welcome him. >> thank you for your kind words and for entrugs sting us with y organization. it would like to welcome you all to this two-day event of radicalization. since our start which was two years ago we have been working on issues related to this topic. we have been focusing a lot of attention on isis and we look for attention in all forms and have produced a lot of reports on how those groups use the internet. a lot of dynamics. they are common among idealologies. throughout our work we have come to two major conclusions. now days the internet plays a major role in radicalization processes. we did a study a year and a half ago which we launched here in this very room about isis in america and about the cases of individuals of americans who have radicalized and been arrested for isis related activities. in 115 cases we have counted so far there is not a single case where the internet did not play a role. the internaet plays a role in al of the processes, from the first encounter to when they deeper their knowledge all the way to when they plan attacks. the 60 minutes episode which was showed last night shows a case in which individuals were talking to people as they were about to carry out an attack. the second thing is the importance of the internet should not be exaggerated. it is not just about the internet. some times you hear narratives that make you think if we didn't have facebook or twitter there would be no isis or no terrorism. it is obviously nonsense. it happens in many cases online and offline. and the interaction is what causes it in most cases. what we aim to do is to provide balance pd and fact based analysis. that is also the spirit that has guided us as we planned for this conference. there are many controversial issues that surround the topic. these are common worldwide. all countries have to deal with secrecy and censorship, balancing many conflicting interests as they do so. all countries are also struggling to find counter narratives to diminish propaganda. the best way to go forward in the common goal of confronting is to bring to the same table in a knew ral environment, and in particular industry and governments. that is exactly what we thought of doing today and tomorrow. you have in front of you the program. we engineered every panel in a way that includes people from government and the industry. i am very glad to say we have an amazing array of speakers coming from three continents that includes two ministers and many other high ranking policymakers. senior representatives and three v very prominent journalists. these are hard debates. they need to take place both in public and even more reserved setting. that is the way -- it is why the conference is open to the public and everything is for attribution. that's a warning to the speakers. it is actually being broadcast on cspan and also broadcasting on cspan tomorrow. plus, feel free to tweet, post, do whatever you want to do on social media. we actually have a hash ta tag #poeies. feel free to continue this conversation. at the same time we have more dedicated to more intimate conversations. in providing this we hope we can provide a service to many policymakers and practitioners in the general public who are interested in the subject. before introducing our keynote speaker let me thank a few people. first of all president knapp, the law school here with whom we have the privilege of partnering. i want to knowledge michael college. i also want to thank the entire staff of the program. everybody has been fantastic coming together and organizing what is a big event for us. everybody needs to be knowledged. i want to particularly mention alexander and have provided and conceived a lot of panels and a lot of organization. i'm very grateful to all of them. it is now my honor to introduce our keet kn our speaker. recently reappointed to her second term as u.k. minister for internet safety and security. under secretary of state by teresa may. previously adviser she was -- heerer responsibilities include recruitment and radicalization, and ensuring safe access to the internet for everyone. she spent over 25 years building some of the best known technology companies. she has held senior positions including google, facebook and bevo. she was designed in helping streaming technology and storage inkripgs. she served as a nonexistent director. it is the american school in london. in may 2016 she was directed from george washington ufrt where she received it in 1987. we are delighted to have her back. thank you. [ applause ] >> thank you for that very warm welcome. i would like to thank and congratulate the team here for convening this important gathering, to come together to discuss the global partnership to combat extremism online in all of its forms. it is indeed ironic one of humanity's inventions, the internet, is sbeing misused in this way. it is no longer a matter of speculation that terrorist and extremists use applications to inspire violence, to plan and execute attacks. each tragic event and incident reconfirms this. today we come together following yet another horrific attack. this one in london around the house of parliment, my home and my place of work. five people tragically lost their lives. 50 were injured, 30 were hospital ied hospitalized. within 24 hours they claimed responsibility. we know how extremists manipulate information and sew the seeds of discord in our society. we know how they use propaganda to reenforce grieve answer, ignite hatred and we know how they don vince people to give up their lives and join the fight. they target those who are vulnerable, feeling left out and the pool from which they recrete is expanding exponentially. governments can take clear and firm action to keep people safe and secure in their homes, in their communities. the virtual space is a different domain. it is domain of commercial companies. we must rely on them to keep people from harm. if we are to protect human life in this ever more connected world we need a new model of shared responsibility. this is the conversation i would like to have with you today. i would like to challenge our thinking and ask how we move from reacting to crisis and incidents to prevention and full acceptance of responsibility on all sides. in western societies we hold sacred democratic values, our right to privacy, safety and security. these values apply to the internet as well, which we all believe must be free, open and accessible, but there is growing public sentiment that not enough is being done to tackle extremist use of the internet. when it comes to the question of what to do about it we are at an impasse. the voices of consumers and brands are loud and clear. the recent sends the strong message that it should not be deported. recently germany proposed legislation that sets out binding new standards for companies to delete criminal content. the challenge with this approach, however, is that regulation creates a new set of national rules for these businesses which are global and borderless. there is significant complexity around any regime that governs online activity at least keeping up with the obligation given the speed and evolution of technology and extraterritorial jurisdiction that applies. we are at a critical moment when united action to tackle this threat is the only way forward. governments and experts can provide extensive knowledge and rigorous understanding of the threat. industry is best placed to innovate on technical solutions that address this threat specifically on their commercial platforms. they must to identify and removing this material so that together we can ensure that everything possible is done to stop it from infiltrating and poisoning the global audience. increasingly we see a potent cycle of hate across multiple groups and idealologies. they feed off of each other escalating tensions. we saw this post to london attack when this image appeared. the photographer who took this picture said he posted it because it showed a young woman who was traumatized by the events around here. this was not how she was portrayed on social media. the image was wildly misappropriated as representing her as insensitive to the carnage unfolding around her. the growing audacity is perpetuating this vicious cycle. the far right asserts islam represents a threat to the west stating that all muslims are supportive of terrorism. we have seen this in memes that they use on social media which stigmatized those fleeing the atrocities in the middle's. the far right is using -- and make it more powerful. social networks connect like-minded individuals and they imp gu illusion of strength in numbers when these views are in fact fringe. over the past year, we've seen new developments such as the use of social media live during attacks that complicates disruption efforts. terrorists document their unspeakable actions and bask in a nihilistic personal moment of fame and notoriety. furthermore the footage is later released and used in instructional videos to inspire and insight more violence. the presidecedent was set in 20n the broadcast of a french policemen and his wife's murder on social media while their little boy looked on in horror. we saw this used again a few weeks ago during a horrific attack in kabul on a military hospital where the attackers posted live photos as the event was unfolding. terrorists use the internet as a atmosphere of influence will continue to evolve and adapt. we need mnew methods to remove terrorist content. we must be evidence based. too often we are reactionary and do not adequately deal with the complexities that are faced. daesh produces material designed to capitalize on hostilities towards muslims in the west. their message is that every muslim has a duty to fight. that jihad is in fact local. as well as global and that if they're unable to travel, they are legitimate targets that they can execute in their home countries. following the attack on berlin's christmas market in december, daesh released a statement on telegram in arabic, french, and enli english urging their supporters to carry out attacks in the west. advising them to target celebrations, clubs, hospitals, markets and movie theaters. tragically this foretold the night club attack in istanbul on new year's eve. we've seen this type of call before. last year the then spokesman called for the group supporters to carry out terrorist attacks during ramadan. analysts regarded this call as less persuasive than his previous fat waws. it was the bloodiest this century. the total rejection of lbgtq communities and seclerrism which had been cited for the attack on the pulse attack in orlando and the lorry attack in nice. the official online publications is well known. the image of the the left of the screen shows a magazine which encourages supporters to embrace the caliphate and come to build a new state. the second shows its newer publication which calls on its followers to carry out acts of terrorism wherever they live, wherever they can. reflecting the new reality of its survival as an ideology. let me illustrate some of the atrocities that it has inspired, as each edition contains graphic instructional videos. the second edition called for lone actor attacks using knives with a full demonstration on a frightened hostage. this was replicated in the hani heinous murder of a police officer in normandy and attacks in the minnesota shopping mall last year. the third edition advised its supporters to carry out vehicle-based lone actor attacks praising the bastille attack in nice and replicated in berlin. and also here in the united states at ohio state university. recently, a scene showing how to build a shrapnel filled i.e.d. in a kitchen was disseminated. more than 100 links to this video were posted across 29 platforms within one hour. it was distributed on twitter and the video was hosted on youtube, archive, send vid, and google drive. part of the terrorists' eco system used by daesh to insure their propaganda has maximum impact. 24 hours after the video's release, despite best efforts, half of these links were still active. we should not be fooled by daesh's ability to produce and distribute propaganda or their ability to produce propaganda will decrease as its military losses mount. according to research, the uk government has undertaken, daesh have been degraded and defeated, and their infrastructure com compromised on the ground. their unofficial brand ambassadors have become prominent distributors of its propaganda. the devotees create their own material which they promote and discuss across networks. idalization of lone actor terrorist and martyrs for the cause feeds an increasing audacity in attack and offers members a chance to gain fame glory and status. we now see other terrorist groups mimicking daesh's online attacks with devastating consequences. in fact, we see an escalating competitive dynamic among terrorist groups. it's a savage game of one upsmanship. in the past few weeks we've seen the syrian al qaeda linked franchise launch a magazine. it's a professional media brand that it uses now for online communications and videos. in midmarch they released their first english language statement rebuking the u.s. for its selfish policy in syria. and the quality of daesh's out put, while it's starting to fluctuate, must not lose sight of other terrorist groups. in the uk a neo nazi group was prescribed recently for glorifying terrorism. having built up a fan base through the use of youth oriented material to reach new recruits. the ability for other terrorist groups propaganda to insight violence and attacks is no longer theoretical. as shown by the murder of a parliament member last summer. we must develop and rapidly deliver an ever stronger response at pace and scale. now, some progress has been made. in the u.s. we've developed an approach to tackling terrorists in and extremist use of the internet. we work with industry to voluntarily remove extremist content online through the internet referral unit. we bring communication experts and civil society groups together to develop and run targeted and effective countermessaging campaigns that provide compelling alternative voices to extremist rhetoric. working together with industry in 2016, the uk's counterterrorism internet referral unit run by our metropolitan police department secured the removal of over 120,000 pieces of terrorist and extremist content. we supported the setting up of the model in the e.u. working with our partners and their unit launched in 2015 in july, which also works to secure the removal of content in a wider range of languages. the unit has reported a successful statistic of 90% of their referrals to industry have been removed. following the paris attacks, telegram acted swiftly to suspend the account of 78 public channels that were used by daesh and its supporters in 12 languages. telegram recently responded to a uk request to remove english language daesh propaganda. last year we saw leading internet companies come together in december in a proposal to build a shared hash data base of terrorist content at the e.u. internet forum. so this looks like progress, right? it's also in many cases a little bit too little too late. by the time we react, research shows that terrorists have already reached their audience. uk government research shows that the majority of those links to terrorist content are shared within the first two hours of release. and they also anticipate take downs and suspensions and instruct their supporters to return to the open internet with strategies to reconfigure and be back online. this must change. we need a new approach. a new partnership. governments across the world are agitating, looking at legislation to force more timely removal of content by social media companies. this is reinforced by fines and other sanctions. i do not believe that this approach alone will succeed. it is incumbent upon industry to drive this change. they must build new capacity that is holistic, targeted and dynamic to address these threats and reclaim their platforms from those who seek to exploit them. to incite violence or push dogma and repression. in terms of -- in the terms and conditions that govern these sites, these are based on corporate philosophies, values and beliefs that the surely the goal posts can be moved. while violent extremist groups seek to undermine the values that the internet was establish today advance, we must reinforce its capability to be the answer to hatred and intolerance, rather than a vehicle for t. we must understand the influence of terrorist groups online and employ data analytics to recognize how terrorists amplify their messages. and in terms of technology, we need to improve solutions that classify the language of terrorism. automate its identification and removal. and create tools that better tackle automated bots, and other techniques that support the propaganda machines. we must take a stance in solidarity against terrorism. solidarity across governments, industries, and people all around the world. the internet is universal. and it is imperative that developers consider these dangers alongside other internet harms. we must empower the global community with better tools to respond and report harmful content. to speak out and to take action. every person has the ability to recognize bias, hatred and intolerance, and say no, not on my profile. not in my name. we can't let the world retreat to a dark place of ignorance and prejudice. we must stand up for what we believe in. freedom, peace, democracy, understanding, and incluseivity. a world in which knowledge, debate and discussion bring people closer together and make them feel a part of something that's greater than themselves. to close, i would like to leave you with a quote from prime minister theresa may, the day following the london attack. she said yesterday we saw the worst of humanity. but we will remember the best. thank you. [ applause ] after reports of sexual abuse of

Related Keywords

United States , Istanbul , Turkey , Paris , France General , France , Germany , Minnesota , Syria , Switzerland , Kabul , Kabol , Afghanistan , Berlin , London , City Of , United Kingdom , Italy , Syrian , Italian , Americans , America , French , British , Swiss , Theresa May , Steve Knapp , Teresa May , Al Qaeda , George Washington , Don Vince ,