Introduction
This page shares the annual themes and outputs of GIFCT working groups. In July 2020, GIFCT launched a series of working groups to focus on critical themes related to countering terrorism and violent extremism online. Working groups bring together experts from diverse stakeholder groups, geographies and disciplines to offer advice in specific thematic areas and deliver on targeted, substantive projects. Each year working groups are refreshed to update themes and focus areas and to allow new participants to join. Participants work with GIFCT to prepare strategic work plans, outlining objectives, goals, strategies, deliverables, and timelines.
Refining Incident Response: Building Nuance and Evaluation Frameworks
This Working Group explored incident response processes and protocols of tech companies and the GIFCT resulting in a handbook. The handbook provides guidance on how to better measure and evaluate incident response around questions of transparency, communication, evaluation metrics, and human rights considerations.
Blue Teaming: Alternative Platforms for Positive Intervention
After recognizing a gap in the online intervention space, this GIFCT Working Group focused on highlighting alternative platforms through a tailored playbook of approaches to further PVE/CVE efforts on a wider diversity of platforms. This included reviewing intervention tactics for approaching alternative social media platforms, gaming spaces, online marketplaces, and adversarial platforms.
Red Teaming: Assessing Threat and Safety by Design
Looking at how the tech landscape is evolving in the next two to five years, this GIFCT Working Group worked to identify, and scrutinizes risk mitigation aspects of newer parts of the tech stack through a number of short reports, highlighting where safety-by-design efforts should evolve.
Frameworks for Meaningful Transparency
In an effort to further the tech industry’s continued commitment to transparency, this Working Group composed a report outlining the current state of play, various perspectives on barriers and risks around transparency reporting. While acknowledging the challenges, the Working Group provided cross sectoral views on what an ideal end state of meaningful transparency would be, along with guidance on ways to reach it.
Legal Frameworks: Animated Explainers on Definitions of Terrorism and Violent Extremism
This Working Group tackled questions around definitions of terrorism along with the impact that they have on minority communities through the production of two complementary animated videos. The videos are aimed to support the global counterterrorism and counter violent extremism community in understanding, developing, and considering how they may apply definitions of terrorism and violent extremism.