Security Council - Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) - social media

United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee holds special meeting on preventing exploitation of the Internet and social media for terrorist purposes

BMUSONI — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 17:13:00 +0000

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Exploitation of the Internet and social media for terrorist purposes can only be defeated through sustained and comprehensive action involving the active participation and collaboration of Member States, international and regional organizations, civil society, and the private sector. This was a common theme expressed by of a number of participants in a special meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, held at the United Nations in New York on 1 December 2016.

“We must work together to promote dialogue among all stakeholders in order to find effective ways to prevent the exploitation of information and communication technologies for terrorist purposes,” H.E. Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Egypt to the United Nations, said in his closing statement. Ambassador Aboulatta is Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the Security Council.

The meeting – Preventing the exploitation of information and communication technologies (ICT) for terrorist purposes, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms – was held against the backdrop of the significant and growing threat posed to Member States by the exploitation of ICT, in particular the Internet and social media, for terrorist purposes. In a number of resolutions, the Security Council has recognized this threat and called upon Member States to take the measures needed to deliver an effective response. The formal meeting was preceded by technical sessions on the same theme organized by the Executive Directorate of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTED) on 30 November and 1 December 2016.

Representatives of the private sector underscored their commitment to preventing the exploitation of ICT for terrorist purposes. Maryam Mujica, Public Policy Team Manager for Twitter, highlighted that the company “has suspended over 360,000 accounts for threatening or promoting terrorist acts” since mid-2015.

Participants in the special meeting and the accompanying technical sessions included Member States, international and regional organizations, United Nations entities, the private sector, academia, faith-based leaders, and civil society representatives. Having relevant actors from various sectors gathered in the same room provided an opportunity for dialogue and for a frank discussion about challenges and ways forward.

Documents

Concept note

Agenda, technical meeting

Agenda, CTC special meeting

ICT491�鶹�� report – Private sector engagement in responding to the use of the Internet and ICT for terrorist purposes

Presentations

2016-11-30-Session I 30 Nov – Arije Antinori, European Counter-Terrorism Centre (ECTC)

2016-11-30-Session I 30 Nov – V.S. Subrahmanian, University of Maryland

2016-11-30 – Vidia Arianti, ICPVTR

2016-11-30-Session V 30 Nov – Maxim Grigoryev, The Foundation for the Study of Democracy

2016-12-01-Session I 1 Dec – Rafal Rohozinski, CEO and Chief Innovation Officer at SecDev Group, ICT491�鶹��

2016-12-01-Session V 1 Dec – Dr. Mahmoud Nagah Ahmed Farag Khalaf, Al-Azhar Observer

Speech By Jan Kleijssen Director Information Society and Action against Crime Directorate Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law – DGI Council of Europe

Contribution de Mme Patricia Herdt, Représentante permanente a.i.
de l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) auprès des Nations Unies

“International Cooperation and Public-Private Partnership while Respecting International Human Rights” A Speech Delivered by: Dr. Reham Abdullah Salamah

Media coverage

Related media coverage

Special meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee: Preventing the exploitation of information and communication technologies (ICT) for terrorist purposes, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms (1 December 2016: Session III)

CTED-organized meeting: Preventing the exploitation of information and communication technologies (ICT) for terrorist purposes, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms (1 December 2016: Session V)

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Special meeting of the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee on Preventing the exploitation of information and communication technologies (ICT) for terrorist purposes, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms

BMUSONI — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 17:13:00 +0000

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Member States continue to face a significant and growing threat from the abuse of information and communication technologies (ICT), in particular the Internet and social media, for terrorist purposes. In a number of resolutions, the Security Council recognizes this risk, and calls upon Member States to adopt necessary measures to prevent and address the threat this represents.

In its Presidential Statement in May 2016 (S/PRST/2016/6), the Security Council requested its Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) to present a proposal for a comprehensive international framework with recommended guidelines and good practices to effectively counter the ways in which terrorist groups use their narratives to encourage, motivate, and recruit others to commit terrorist acts. As part of this work, and following on other initiatives, the Counter-Terrorism Committee will organize a special meeting on “Preventing the exploitation of information and communication technologies (ICT) for terrorist purposes, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms.” Taking place at United Nations headquarters on Thursday 1 December 2016 in Conference room 4, the special meeting is open to Member and Observer States, members of the media including photographers with valid accreditation, United Nations staff and interns, UN entities, intergovernmental organizations, and specialized agencies, as well as invited guests with a valid UN grounds pass. The event will be webcast at webtv.un.org.

The special meeting will be preceded by a series of preparatory technical sessions, organized by the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) on Wednesday 30 November and in the morning of Thursday 1 December.

Additional details can be found below. More information about the special meeting on a similar theme held in December 2015 can be found here.

Please RSVP here.

Documents

Concept note

Agenda, technical meeting

Agenda, CTC special meeting

ICT491�鶹�� report – Private sector engagement in responding to the use of the Internet and ICT for terrorist purposes

Presentations

2016-11-30-Session I 30 Nov – Arije Antinori, European Counter-Terrorism Centre (ECTC)

2016-11-30-Session I 30 Nov – V.S. Subrahmanian, University of Maryland

2016-11-30 – Vidia Arianti, ICPVTR

2016-11-30-Session V 30 Nov – Maxim Grigoryev, The Foundation for the Study of Democracy

2016-12-01-Session I 1 Dec – Rafal Rohozinski, CEO and Chief Innovation Officer at SecDev Group, ICT491�鶹��

2016-12-01-Session V 1 Dec – Dr. Mahmoud Nagah Ahmed Farag Khalaf, Al-Azhar Observer

Speech By Jan Kleijssen Director Information Society and Action against Crime Directorate Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law – DGI Council of Europe

Contribution de Mme Patricia Herdt, Représentante permanente a.i.
de l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) auprès des Nations Unies

“International Cooperation and Public-Private Partnership while Respecting International Human Rights” A Speech Delivered by: Dr. Reham Abdullah Salamah

Media coverage

Related media coverage

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CTED delivers keynote address at 2nd World Internet Conference

BMUSONI — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 19:11:00 +0000

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CTED representative at the Forum

CTED delivered a keynote address at the 2^nd World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, China.

The Conference, opened by the Chinese President on 16 December 2015, attracted representatives from 120 countries and 20 international and regional organizations.

Mr. Weixiong Chen, CTED Deputy Executive Director, informed participants about UN efforts to prevent and counter abuse of the Internet and social media by terrorists.

He highlighted the challenges faced by the international community, in particular the targeting of youth to spread violent extremism.

“This is a battle without gunpowder and smoke, but it is the most daunting challenge we currently face”, he said.

The UN serves as a vital platform for the exchange of views and sharing of good practices in this area.

Mr. Chen stressed the need for Governments and other stakeholders to continue to work together to find practical ways to prevent and counter the dissemination of violent extremist narratives via information and communications technology.

The Conference, based permanently in Wuzhen, is designed to enable participants from around the world to explore the opportunities and challenges presented by the rapidly expanding and diversifying world of digital communications.

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Special meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee and technical sessions of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate on preventing and combating abuse of ICT for terrorist purposes, New York, 16-17 December 2015

BMUSONI — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 22:29:00 +0000

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How can terrorists be stopped from exploiting the Internet and social media?

Special meeting of the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee and its Executive Directorate 16-17 December 2015

#RECLAIMINGTHEWEB

Webcast recordings of the event can be viewed here:

Terrorist groups continue to utilize the Internet and social media to facilitate their activities, including incitement to commit terrorist acts, radicalization to violence, recruitment, training, planning, collection of information, communication, preparation, financing, and execution of attacks. Surpassing Al-Qaida, the terrorist organization that calls itself the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has successfully used the Internet to broadcast its ideology and to recruit foreign terrorist fighters on an unprecedented scale – with currently some 30,000 foreign fighters coming from over 100 countries.

On 17 December 2015, the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) will hold a special meeting on Preventing terrorists from exploiting the Internet and social media to recruit terrorists and incite terrorist acts, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms. This meeting will be complemented by CTED-organized thematic sessions (16-17 December), which will all take place in Conference room 1. The meeting will feature panellists from inter alia Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, and Weibo, as well as the Chief Prosecutor of Paris, and civil society activists engaging with terrorist recruiters on the digital frontlines.

The briefing is open to Member and Observer States, United Nations entities, intergovernmental organizations, and specialized agencies. The event is also open to members of the media, including photographers, with a valid accreditation to the United Nations in New York.

Chair summary and plan of action

Concept Note

Special Meeting Agenda

Technical Meeting Agenda

Logistical Note

List of Hotels

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Counter-Terrorism Committee visit to Italy focuses on foreign terrorist fighter threat, law enforcement and border control challenges

BMUSONI — Thu, 28 May 2015 18:11:00 +0000

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The delegation visiting Italy

The Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) on 22 May 2015 concluded a three-day focussed assessment visit to Italy. The visit, conducted on the Committee’s behalf by its Executive Directorate (CTED), focused on legal and operational aspects of Italy’s implementation of Security Council resolutions 1373 (2001), 1624 (2005) and 2178 (2014).

Italy’s recently enacted Decree Law on foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs), international counter-terrorism cooperation, financial law and practice, law enforcement, and border management was a major focus of discussion.

The Italian authorities shared their experiences and good practices in countering terrorism (including the FTF phenomenon) and demonstrated how they keep abreast of international and regional best codes, standards and practices. New global and regional threats and challenges, including terrorists’ abuse of the Internet and social media, were also discussed.
It was emphasized that the global terrorist threat could be countered through effective exchange of information and international cooperation in criminal matters.

The delegation identified good practices applied by Italy and discussed technical assistance matters. The delegation also reiterated the importance of continuing to effectively implement all relevant Security Council resolutions, with Italy reaffirming its commitment to its constructive dialogue on counter-terrorism with the United Nations, and with CTC/CTED in particular.

In addition to CTED experts, the visiting delegation included a member of the Expert Group of the Security Council “1540 Committee,” as well as representatives of Europol, INTERPOL, the International Organization for Migration, the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the World Customs Organization.

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