Terrorism: Internet
(asked on 9th January 2017) - View Source
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Islamist websites suspected of involvement in, or encouragement of, terrorism were removed from the internet in 2016 as a result of UK Government intervention and policy initiatives, including co-operation with internet service providers.
Answered by
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
This Government takes seriously the threat from online terrorist and extremist propaganda, which can directly influence people who are vulnerable to radicalisation.
In the UK our dedicated police Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) refers content that they assess as contravening UK terrorism legislation to industry. If industry agree that it breaches their terms and conditions, they remove it voluntarily. Since it was established in 2010, over 250,000 pieces of terrorist-related material, including websites, have been removed following CTIRU referrals.
Industry cooperation with CTIRU has significantly improved leading to faster and more consistent removal of referred content, and they have established relationships with over 300 Communication Service Providers of differing sizes.