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Toward an Ethical Framework for Countering Extremist Propaganda Online

  • Australian National University
  • Swansea University
  • Delft University of Technology

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

In recent years, extremists have increasingly turned to online spaces to distribute propaganda and as a recruitment tool. While there is a clear need for governments and social media companies to respond to these efforts, such responses also bring with them a set of ethical challenges. This paper provides an ethical analysis of key policy responses to online extremist propaganda. It identifies the ethical challenges faced by policy responses and details the ethical foundations on which such policies can potentially be justified in a modern liberal democracy. We also offer an ethical framework in which policy responses to online extremism in liberal democracies can be grounded, setting clear parameters upon which future policies can be built in a fast-changing online environment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)(In-Press)
Number of pages18
JournalStudies in Conflict & Terrorism
Volume(In-Press)
Early online date8 Mar 2021
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 8 Mar 2021
Externally publishedYes

Funding

This work was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Grant agreement No. 670172); Australia Research Council under the Discovery grant, (DP180103439 Intelligence And National Security: Ethics, Efficacy And Accountability); and the Australian Department of Defence under the Strategic Policy Grant, Countering Foreign Interference And Cyber War Challenges.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
    SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

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