1st Asia Dialogue on Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) and Counter Terrorism

ICT4Peace’s Adam Hadley and Daniel Stauffacher were invited to support the first Asia Dialogue on Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) and Counter Terrorism on Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea and the UN Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate (UN CTED, New York).

The Asia Dialogue consists of three regional workshops aimed at building confidence among relevant stakeholders, within the framework of international and regional cooperation to counter terrorism in respect for human rights standards. Next to the Representatives of Asian Governments the following organisations, business and civil society representatives participated: INTERPOL, Facebook, Weibo, Global Network Initiative (GNI), Hedayah, Muflehun, Access Now, Committee to protect journalists, Southeast Asia Regional Center for Counterterrorism (SEARCCT), Swiss Institute of Comparative Law, Faculty of Policy Studies, Chuo University in Japan, Love Frankie Ltd, Affinis Lab.

UN Security Council resolution 2129 (2013) notes the evolving nexus between terrorism and information and communications technology (ICT), in particular the Internet, as well as the use of such technologies to commit terrorist acts and to facilitate such acts through their use to incite, recruit, fund or plan terrorist acts.

Participants shared experiences and challenges encountered in countering incitement and violent extremism leading to terrorism, developing counter-narratives, gathering digital evidence, enhancing the practices of private online intermediaries, and empowering online communities. They explored practical ways to strengthen implementation of Security Council resolution 1624 (2005), on incitement; Security Council resolution 2178 (2014), on countering violent extremism; and the Council's presidential statement of 11 May 2016 (S/PRST/2016/6), on the development of counter­ messaging and alternative messaging.

The workshop consisted of the following sessions:

1.    Terrorist use of ICT in the Asia region: specific challenges in the Asian context

2.    Ways to address terrorist use of ICT: sharing of best practices of Asian States

3.    Normative framework in dealing with terrorist use of ICT

4.    Moving beyond Government initiatives: voluntary measures by the industry and online communities to counter terrorist use of ICT

5.    Security Council efforts to counter terrorist use of ICT - developing a “comprehensive international framework

6.    Regional efforts to counter terrorist use of ICT

7.    Future cooperation in the Asia region in responding to terrorist use of ICT.

Adam Hadley, ICT4Peace Project Director presented the Tech Against Terrorism Project jointly launched by the UN CTED and ICT4Peace in March 2017. The project is based on the work carried out by UN CTED and ICT4Peace in the first phase (2016/2107), the report of which can be found here.

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