On 4 March, Internal Affairs and Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner (pictured) convened the 10th Ministerial Meeting of the EU Internet Forum (EUIF) in Brussels. The meeting will bring together EU Ministers and high-level representatives of online platforms, as well as EU institutions and civil society organizations to strengthen collective action against terrorist and violent extremist threats in the digital space.
Ministers and industry representatives endorsed the new EU Online Crisis Response Framework, as announced in the new ProtectEU: Agenda to prevent and counter terrorism. The new framework will reinforce preparedness, with a new pre-alert system, and will strengthen swift and coordinated reaction to the online dimension of terrorist and violent extremist attacks. This will help to curb the flow of violent images which glorify acts of terrorism and radicalise new followers.
The meeting also focused on the protection of minors from terrorism and violent extremism online, a topic that is particularly relevant in today’s geopolitical environment: one out of three terrorist suspects today is below the age of 20. Furthermore, participants discussed how best to counter antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred in the digital sphere, as well as prevention, early detection, and strengthened voluntary cooperation between Member States, online platforms, civil society organizations and EU agencies. They also discussed the findings of the new Handbook on Online Antisemitism.
Established in 2015, the EU Internet Forum is a space for structured public-private cooperation to prevent the misuse of online services for terrorist and violent extremist purposes. It complements the EU’s regulatory framework, including the Terrorist Content Online Regulation and the Digital Services Act.
Commissioner Brunner chaired the Forum, underlining the Commission’s determination to adapt the EU’s counterterrorism and prevention toolkit to evolving technological and geopolitical realities, while safeguarding fundamental rights and democratic values online.
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