Today's Edition
Abu Dhabi (Aletihad)
A new insight by TRENDS Research & Advisory highlights that extremism poses a significant threat to global stability and social order, emphasising the need to strengthen intellectual security by leveraging technology, engaging the community and reforming policies. These measures are essential for fostering societies resilient to extremist ideologies and safeguarding social cohesion.
Titled "Intellectual Security: Innovative Strategies to Combat Extremism in the Digital Era", the insight examines how digital technologies have become both powerful enablers of extremism and effective means to counter it.
Authored by Hamad Al-Hosani, Head of the Political Islam Studies Section at TRENDS, the insight explores the role of digital platforms in spreading extremist ideologies and outlines strategies for countering them through technology, awareness policies, and community initiatives.
The key themes of the insight address digital media and the danger of closed groups, spotlighting how extremist organisations exploit social media and online platforms to spread their propaganda and influence vulnerable populations, particularly youth and marginalized groups.
The insight looks at digital extremism and the propagation of hate, demonstrating how historical, cultural, and religious narratives are manipulated to distort facts and incite violence, leading to deep societal divisions.
It underscores the potential of technology as a tool to combat extremism, highlighting the role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in detecting extremist content online. However, it stresses the need for comprehensive efforts that go beyond technological solutions to address the root causes of extremism, such as social and economic exclusion.
Additionally, the insight examines the role of the dark web in supporting terrorism, revealing how extremist groups leverage the dark web and cryptocurrencies to fund terrorist activities and share prohibited content. It calls for international cooperation to track and disrupt these operations.
The insight concludes with several recommendations to tackle these challenges, including organizing awareness campaigns to promote critical thinking and digital citizenship, fostering international collaboration to regulate algorithms on social media, enhancing community-led initiatives to address the social and economic roots of extremism, and implementing transparent policies to moderate content without infringing on freedom of expression.
