Speaker
Description
The digitalisation of communication has fundamentally transformed the landscape of terrorism, enabling extremist actors to exploit online platforms for recruitment and propaganda dissemination. The European Union observes this shift in the growing prominence of decentralised threats, particularly lone actors radicalised in digital environments. This paper examines the EU’s evolving response to online radicalisation, while critically interrogating whether frameworks designed for offline counter-terrorism remain adequate in addressing digitally mediated threats.
The analysis highlights the role of social media, encrypted messaging services, as well as emerging ecosystems such as online gaming platforms in facilitating the spread of extremist ideologies. While the EU has developed an increasingly robust regulatory architecture, including the Regulation on Preventing the Dissemination of Terrorist Content Online (TERREG), the Digital Services Act, and the AI Act, this paper examines the growing reliance on artificial intelligence in content moderation, assessing the associated risks such as algorithmic bias and profiling. The paper argues that while the EU has adapted its counter-terrorism enforcement to the digital frontier, significant gaps remain, raising questions about the effectiveness of extending offline frameworks to online contexts. The paper also highlights the structural dilemma between security imperatives and fundamental rights in the EU’s governance of digital extremism.
| Institutional Affiliation | Dublin City University |
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