Wednesday 6 December 2017: EU Internet Forum

The news:

On 6 December 2017, Commissioners Dimitris Avramopoulos and Julian King will host the third Ministerial-level EU Internet Forum - which will bring together Member States, Europol, EU experts and key internet companies - to discuss progress made in combatting terrorist content online, and in stepping up further EU actions in this area.

The background:

The EU Internet Forum was launched in December 2015 by Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos to stop the misuse of the internet by international terrorist groups. The EU Internet Forum brings together EU Home Affairs Ministers, the internet industry and other stakeholders to work together in a voluntary partnership to address this complex issue and to protect EU citizens.

In December 2016, at the EU Internet Forum, internet companies announced the creation of a shared 'Database of Hashes' to better detect potential terrorist content on social media and prevent its reappearance on other platforms. In June 2017, the European Council has further called on the industry to develop new technology and tools to improve the automatic detection and removal of content that incites to terrorist acts, to be complemented by the relevant legislative measures at EU level, if necessary.

The EU Internet Forum has two main objectives: to reduce accessibility to terrorist content online, and to empower civil society partners to increase the volume of effective alternative narratives online. It is also one of the key commitments made in the European Agenda on Security presented in April 2015.

The event:

The meeting will take place on 6 December in the Berlaymont building of the European Commission.

The sources:

Launch of the EU Internet Forum

Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN)

Communication on effective and genuine Security Union

AGENDA/17/5063