Africa’s anti-terrorism experts on Thursday began a two-day meeting in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi to discuss the use of technology in spreading terrorism and ways to halt the trend.
The second Nairobi caucus on preventing the exploitation of technology and communication by terrorists brought together more than 100 participants, including heads of counterterrorism agencies and officials from the United Nations, the African Union and the East African Community, to exchange views on how to prevent the use of technology in committing terrorist acts in the region.
In the opening remarks, Monica Juma, Kenya’s national security adviser, said that the conference was convened to confront the question of how to stop the spread of terrorist content on social media platforms. “Terrorist propaganda, disinformation, incitement and recruitment in online spaces remains rife and is often unchallenged or unmoderated.”
Chris O’Donnell, a senior field coordinator at the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, said that the internet has been utilized by terrorists and violent extremists to extend their reach as well as intensify their abilities in a way that is uncontrolled by legislation or morals. Enditem
