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.
As of November 2022, GIFCT Working Groups are focusing on the following themes:
- Refining Incident Response: Building Nuance and Evaluation Frameworks
- Blue Teaming: Alternative Platforms for Positive Intervention
- Red Teaming: Assessing Threat and Safety by Design
- Frameworks for Meaningful Transparency
- Legal Frameworks: Animated Explainers on Definitions of Terrorism and Violent Extremism.
Refining Incident Response: Building Nuance and Evaluation Frameworks
Starting in November 2022, the Refining Incident Response: Building Nuance and Evaluation Frameworks Working Group is focused on the following:
- Previous GIFCT Crisis Response Working Groups found that further refinement is needed for government, tech, and GIFCT efforts to identify and define (1) what constitutes a terrorist or violent extremist attack, specifically regarding edge cases, and (2) what “Terrorist and Violent Extremist content” means in these contexts. This Working Group will continue questioning transparency, evaluation metrics, and data preservation protocols within wider crisis response efforts.
Blue Teaming Alternative Platforms for Positive Intervention
Starting in November 2022, the Blue Teaming Alternative Platforms for Positive Intervention Working Group is focused on the following:
- A gap in the online intervention space is that PVE/CVE practitioners tend to use only three to four larger platforms for all counter-extremism efforts and practitioner work. To counter the cross-platform threat and provide solutions for real change across a wider number of platforms, this GIFCT Working Group will focus on highlighting alternative platforms to discuss how their platform operates and Blue Team where positive interventions, risk mitigation tactics, and friction-building strategies could be implemented. The output will be a tailored playbook of approaches to further PVE/CVE efforts on a wider diversity of platforms. It will help activists in their own efforts to challenge hate and extremism online and foster wider CSO-Tech Company partnerships.
Red Teaming: Assessing Threat and Safety by Design
Starting in November 2022, the Red Teaming: Assessing Threat and Safety by Design Working Group is focused on the following:
- Looking at how the tech landscape is evolving in the next two to five years, this GIFCT Working Group aims to identify, understand, and scrutinize risk mitigation aspects of newer parts of the tech stack. Possible areas of focus include: Decentralized-Web, Dating Services, E-Pay, storage, 3D printing, and E2EE. The Red Teaming format will allow the Working Group to identify what expected threats in terrorism and violent extremism might look like and what solutions and mitigations could or should be put in place, with human rights as a primary consideration. The outputs will aim to identify design principles for key components of trust and safety systems that seek to prevent terrorist and violent extremists from exploiting platforms when developing new technology. The Working Group will explore questions around technical safeguards, oversight, and best-practices that are needed to ensure safety by design and protection of human rights while member companies carry out tools-based internal operations from a safety by design standpoint.
Frameworks for Meaningful Transparency
Building off of the Working Group output on global assessment frameworks funded by GIFCT and produced by Dr. Courtney Radsch in 2022 as part of Year 2 of GIFCT Working Groups, this wider piece of multi-stakeholder work aims to establish a framework for transparency reporting. This includes a mapping of what meaningful transparency means to different key stakeholders on the topic of terrorism and violent extremism and what third party oversight models look like.
Legal Frameworks: Animated Explainers on Definitions of Terrorism and Violent Extremism
Starting in November 2022, the Legal Frameworks: Animated Explainers on Definitions of Terrorism and Violent Extremism Working Group is focused on the following:
- This Working Group has committed to developing a series of short explanatory animations to support the research on applying terrorist definitions led by Dr Katy Vaughn and the recently launched GIFCT Definitions and Principles Framework Site. This will provide other mediums for understanding the pros, cons, and risks around definitions and government lists.