Available from The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence.

From the executive summary:

Any strategy that hopes to counter online radicalisation must aim to create an environment in which the production and consumption of such materials become not just more difficult in a technical sense but unacceptable as well as less desirable.

Elements of this strategy include:

• Deterring the producers of extremist materials
• Empowering online communities to self-regulate
• Reducing the appeal of extremist messages
• Promoting positive messages

The report thus develops concrete proposals for action within each of the four strands:

• Deterring producers
The selective use of takedowns in conjunction with prosecutions would signal that individuals engaged in online extremism are not beyond the law.

• Empowering online communities
The creation of an Internet Users Panel in order to strengthen reporting mechanisms and complaints procedures would allow users to make their voices heard.

• Reducing the appeal
More attention must be paid to media literacy, and a comprehensive approach in this area is badly needed.

• Promoting positive messages
The establishment of an independent start-up fund would provide seed money for grassroots online projects aimed at countering extremism.

Efforts to counter online radicalisation must view new technologies and modes of interaction not as a threat but as an opportunity. Relying on government alone is not sufficient. It is vital to capitalise upon the potential contributions of all stakeholders, including internet companies and internet users.