GIFCT is an independent 501(c)(3) membership organization led by an Executive Director and supported by dedicated staff. The Forum is funded by founding member companies and guided by a multistakeholder Independent Advisory Committee.
Independent Advisory Committee
The Independent Advisory Committee guides the Operating Board, including through an annual report advising on organizational priorities and reflecting on previous performance. Independent Advisory Committee meetings are held in conjunction with meetings of the Operating Board. The Independent Advisory Committee includes a minority of members from government and inter-governmental entities and a majority drawn from civil society understood broadly to include, among others, advocacy groups, human rights specialists, foundations, researchers and technical experts. All government representatives must represent governments that are members of the Freedom Online Coalition. The Independent Advisory Committee chair will always be a non-governmental representative. The Operating Board periodically reviews and updates the composition of the Independent Advisory Committee, with the intent of maintaining continuity of the group, encouraging diverse thinking and representing the global community. Read the Independent Advisory Committee’s Terms of Reference here.
Independent Advisory Committee Members
Civil Society
Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right
Hewlett Foundation
Inclusive Aotearoa Collective
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Stanford University, Global Digital Policy Incubator
Swansea University
SynqUp
The Khalifa-Ihler Institute
The Observer Research Foundation
Université du Québec à Montréal
University of California, Irvine
University of Maryland, National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism
Government
Government of Canada, Public Safety Canada
Government of France, Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
Government of Ghana, Ministry of Communications
Government of Japan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Government of New Zealand, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
Government of the United Kingdom, Home Office
Government of the United States, National Security Council
Intergovernmental
European Union, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs
United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (Observer)
Operating Board
The Operating Board provides GIFCT’s operational budget and ensures overall GIFCT operations align with its mission. The Operating Board is composed of GIFCT’s founding members; at least one rotating company from the broader membership cadre; new companies that meet leadership criteria, and the rotating chair of the Independent Advisory Committee, who participates as a non-voting member. The Operating Board chair rotates annually. For 2020, Microsoft is chair. For 2021, Twitter will be the chair.
Founding Companies
On June 26th, 2017, Twitter, Facebook, Microsoft, and Google announced the formation of GIFCT. The founding companies created GIFCT with the belief that by working together, sharing the best technological and operational elements of our individual efforts, they could have a greater impact on the threat of terrorist content online. Building on the work of initiatives such as the EU Internet Forum and the Shared Industry Hash Database, the companies identified three core areas of work: technological solutions, research, and knowledge-sharing.
Tech Against Terrorism
Launched by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (UN CTED) in 2016, Tech Against Terrorism (TaT) partners with GIFCT on two key initiatives:
Mentorship of platforms interested in joining GIFCT
Knowledge-sharing within the tech industry and across the private, public, and civil society sectors.