Toward a Global Partnership to Counter Online Radicalization and Extremism

Summary

The George Washington University's Program on Extremism and the George Washington University Law School hosted a two-day symposium on March 27 and 28, 2017 focusing on the role of the Internet in both facilitating and combating violent extremism. The purpose of this symposium was to create a conducive environment for frank dialogue between high-level participants drawn from the U.S. government, foreign governments, law enforcement, and the technology industry. The conference covered three main topics related to extremist use of the Internet: (1) Developing counter-narratives to combat the appeal of extremist messages online; (2) The increased terrorist use of sophisticated encryption technologies and the clash between security and privacy; and (3) The ongoing debate surrounding censorship and if it is an effective tool for combating online radicalization. Journalists from national media outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, moderated the panel discussions, which were conducted to allow for candid, original contributions from all participants. Speakers included: 

Day One, March 27th:

Introductory Remarks and Keynote Address by Baroness Shields

Opening remarks were delivered by Dr. Steven Knapp, President of George Washington University, and Dr. Lorenzo Vidino, Director of the GW Program on Extremism. The remarks were followed by a keynote address delivered by Baroness Joanna Shields, Minister for Internet Safety and Security in the United Kingdom.

The Challenge of Emerging Encryption Technologies

This panel was moderated by Senior Writer for The Wall Street Journal, Shane Harris, and featured commentary from:

• James A. Baker, General Counsel for the Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Luigi Soreca, Director for Internal Security for the European Commission
• Bijan Madhani, Public Policy and Regulatory Counsel for the Computer and Communications Industry 

Breakout Session: Counter-Messaging from a Practitioner Perspective

This panel was moderated by Research Director for the Program on Extremism, Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, and featured commentary from:

• Matthew Rice, Acting Chief Digital Officer for the Countering Violent Extremism Task Force at the Department of Homeland Security
• Pat Byrne, EUROPOL Senior Representative, Head of Europol Delegation for the Delegation of the European Union
• Clara Tsao, Chief Technology Officer for the Countering Violent Extremism Task Force at the Department of Homeland Security and White House Presidential Innovation Fellow

Day Two, March 28th:

Introductory Remarks and Keynote Address by Dr. Anwar Gargash

Opening remarks were delivered by Dr. Lorenzo Vidino, Director of the GW Program on Extremism. The remarks were followed by a keynote address given by Dr. Anwar Gargash, the UAE Minister of State.

Approaching Online Censorship

Thuis panel was moderated by National Security Correspondent for The New York Times, Scott Shane, and featured commentary from:

• Dawn Nunziato, Professor of Law at the GWU Law School
• Monika Bickert, Head of Product Policy and Counter-Terrorism at Facebook
• Irfan Saeed, Director of the Office of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) for the Bureau of Counterterrorism and CVE (CT) at the U.S. Department of State 

Closing Remarks and Keynote Address by Mary B. McCord

Dr. Lorenzo Vidino, the Director of the Program on Extremism, wrapped up the two-day conference by introducing Mary B. McCord, the Acting Assistant Attorney General, for closing remarks.