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· Facebook Launches UK Tool to Redirect Users Away from Extremist Searches
· German Intelligence on Alert for Extremists Travelling to Afghanistan
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· How the Ukrainian Crisis Would Be Addressed if Our National Security Strategy Was a Narrative
· U.K. Cuts Terror Threat One Level to ‘Substantial’
· Alleged Member of Extremist Group Indicted on Weapons Charge
· A Giant Donut-Shaped Machine Just Proved a Near-Limitless Clean Power Source Is Possible
Facebook Launches UK Tool to Redirect Users Away from Extremist Searches (Martyn Landi, Independent)
Facebook and Instagram users in the UK who search for content related to organised hate or violent extremism will now be redirected to resources and support as part of a major counterspeech update. The social network has announced the expansion of its Redirect Initiative into the UK, as well as Pakistan which replaces the top search result on hate or extremism-based searches with a link to help and support on how to move away from hate and violence. According to Facebook, research has shown that challenging violent and extremist views with positive counterspeech is one of the most effective ways to combat such attitudes and uses empathy and alternative perspectives to respond to extremist views. The tool has already been launched in Australia, the US, Germany and Indonesia and is the latest move by Facebook parent firm Meta to attempt to improve online safety amid ongoing scrutiny on the sector from regulators and policymakers from around the world. The social media giant said the counterspeech process was most effective when the counterspeech comes from credible voices and so has partnered with charity Exit UK for the UK version of the tool.
German Intelligence on Alert for Extremists Travelling to Afghanistan (Tim Sticking, The National)
German security services are bracing themselves for the possibility of extremists in Europe travelling to Afghanistan to fight or train with Al Qaeda. Bruno Kahl, the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, said the Taliban’s return to power had made Afghanistan a potential focal point for extremists around the world. In a speech in London, he also raised the concern that Afghan terrorist branch ISIS-K, an enemy of the Taliban which has carried out a series of atrocities in the country, could inspire attacks in Europe. The Taliban made assurances after returning to power that they would not give a safe haven to terrorists, as they did during their 1996-2001 rule that culminated in Al Qaeda’s September 11 attacks on the US. But their talk of a more moderate Taliban rule has been undermined by killings of former western-backed security forces and the reintroduction of strict laws affecting women and girls. (Cont.)