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PROPHETS

Preventing radicalisation online through the proliferation of harmonised toolkits
online search engine interface

PROPHETS aimed to improve the understanding of the online radicalisation process through four key themes. The first was to understand the factors and risks (personal, psychological, socio-economic) that make someone vulnerable to radicalisation. The second theme focused on detecting and mitigating the signs of online radicalisation through OSINT and interpreting online content through the lens of radicalisation. The third was to recognise the legal and ethical concerns related to identifying online radicalisation and the role of LEAs and other practitioners in detecting and countering radical behaviour and, finally, to support policy development in this area. 

PROPHETS aligned to four main use cases: hate speech and incitement of violence; creation of terrorist-generated content; terrorist financing and terrorist recruitment and training. Within the project, CENTRIC researched environmental factors contributing to online radicalisation. Furthermore, as part of the technical outcomes of the project, CENTRIC developed the Expert Notification Portal – a community-driven workspace for experts to seek advice on online radicalisation investigations and the Policy-Making Toolkit - a tool to collect, compare and analyse policies related to online radicalisation.

Funding Statement

European Commission Flag

PROPHETS received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement Number 786894.

Further Information

Publications

  • Karlović, R., Nitsch, H., Fikenscher, S. E., Osterman, D., Menexis, S., Tsikrika, T., Vrochidis, S., Kompatsiaris, I. & Sahar, A. (). The Threat of Behavioral Radicalization Online: Conceptual Challenges and Technical Solutions Provided by the PROPHETS (Preventing Radicalization Online through the Proliferation of Harmonized ToolkitS) Project. Security Technologies and Social Implications, 247-261.
  • Scheithauer, H., Leuschner, V., Böckler, N., Akhgar, B., & Nitsch, H. (). Developmental pathways towards violent left-, right-wing, Islamist extremism and radicalization. International Journal of Developmental Science, 12(1-2), 1-4.