Jihadist content targeted on Internet Archive platform

A Referral Action Day (RAD) targeting online jihadist propaganda took place on 14 July 2021. The European Union Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU) at Europol organised the operational activities, which involved law enforcement authorities from Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom. 

The Referral Action Day targeted online jihadist propaganda disseminated on the Internet Archive platform by referring these materials to the provider with the request to review them against the terms of service. This Referral Action Day focused on strengthening cooperation between Europol and law enforcement agencies together with the Internet Archive platform. It gave the opportunity to identify and assess terrorist content with the aim of raising awareness about the extent of the platform’s abuse by jihadists and their supporters. Among the referred content were propaganda material (videos, audios and digital magazines) of the so-called Islamic State and Al-Qaeda terrorist organisations and their affiliates. 

The Referral Action Day improved the knowledge about the patterns of abuse by terrorist groups. It also provided insights, which would enhance the content moderation policies in view of the Regulation on addressing the dissemination of Terrorist Content Online (TCO Regulation).  

The organisation of the Referral Action Day by the EU IRU has taken place in the context of the public-private partnership aiming to address the terrorist abuse of the Internet, prevent online radicalisation and safeguard fundamental rights and freedoms.