Work

Toward an Ethical Framework for Countering Extremist Propaganda Online

Year: 2021

Type: article

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.

Source: Studies in Conflict and Terrorism

DOI: 10.1080/1057610x.2020.1866744

Authors: Adam Henschke, Alastair Reed

Institutions: Australian National University, Swansea University, Delft University of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: green

Funders: Department of Defence, Australian Government, European Research Council, Australian Research Council