News and Media

Press Releases

25
Mar
Press Release

ICYMI: CEP Senior Advisor Dr. Hany Farid, in NPR Interview, Says Suspend Facebook Live Following Mosque Shootings

CEP Senior Advisor and a leading expert on digital forensics Dr. Hany Farid was interviewed by National Public Radio about tech companies’ failure to prevent the reuploading of the New Zealand attack video. Said Farid: "The repeated uploading is an absolute failure, and it is inexcusable because we have the technology to stop it."
22
Mar
Press Release

Extremist Content Online: A Week After Facebook Livestream, New Zealand Shooting Video Lives Online

CEP reports weekly on the methods used by extremists to exploit the Internet and social media platforms. This edition spotlights the tech companies that allowed the Christchurch terrorist’s live-streamed attack to remain online for over a week and allowed reuploads of the deleted video. Additionally, it chronicles the online resurgence of white supremacist groups, such as Atomwaffen Division and Identity Evropa .
21
Mar
Press Release

Facebook’s Much-Touted Improvements to Remove Extremist Content Fail in Wake of New Zealand Attack

Weeks before the New Zealand shootings were live-streamed on Facebook, the company's top executives were touting Artificial Intelligence as key to the company's efforts to improve its safety and security processes. Yet Facebook’s AI algorithms did not stop the live-streamed attack from being uploaded more than one million times. Said CEP Senior Advisor Dr. Hany Farid: "Facebook did nothing until law enforcement alerted the company to the New Zealand livestream and struggled to prevent the re-upload of the horrific video."
21
Mar
Press Release

Following New Zealand Tragedy, CEP Re-Issues Challenge to Mark Zuckerberg to Discuss Tech Issues With Top Experts

In the wake of the tragic shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand that took the lives of 50 and injured dozens of others, CEP re-issued a challenge to Facebook Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg to join top CEP advisors for a public and transparent conversation about the threat posed by extremist content that proliferates on Facebook. The original invitation followed Zuckerberg’s public commitment to hosting a series of “public discussions about the future of technology in society.”
20
Mar
Press Release

CEP Marks Westminster, Brussels Anniversary, Calls for Action on Extremist Content Online

CEP issued the following statements today to mark the March 22 joint anniversary of the 2017 Westminster Bridge attack and the 2016 Brussels bombings, which together claimed 37 innocent lives.
20
Mar
Press Release

How Europeans Join Global Jihad

What made Europeans join global jihad? On April 8 in New York, GLOBSEC and the Counter Extremism Project will host an event to present research findings into the pathways and patterns of individual jihadists who joined the terrorism movement, as a first step toward the design of sustainable prevention strategies. The event will be begin at 3 p.m at Convene, 780 Third Avenue, 18th Floor Union Square Hub.
19
Mar
Press Release

CEP Statement in Support of Australian Prime Minister’s Call for the G20 to Address Regulation of Tech Industry in Wake of New Zealand Attacks

CEP Senior Advisor Dr. Hany Farid and Executive Director David Ibsen released a statement in support of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s call for the Group of Twenty ( G20 ) to take measures against social media companies in the wake of the New Zealand mosque shootings. The G20 is set to meet this June in Osaka, Japan. On March 18, Morrison penned a letter to Japanese Prime Minister and G20 President Shinzo Abe asking the prime minister to raise the issue during the upcoming summit.
15
Mar
Press Release

CEP Condemns Terror Attack in New Zealand

CEP Executive Director David Ibsen released a statement today in response to shootings at two mosques in New Zealand that read in part: "The attack on New Zealand Muslims today is a shocking and disgraceful act of terror. Once again, it has been committed by an extremist aided, abetted and coaxed into action by content on social media. The shooter not only was radicalized online, but also live-streamed his atrocious actions on Facebook and Twitter."
14
Mar
Press Release

CEP: Law Enforcement Acted Quickly, Properly, In Investigation & Arrest of Kim Anh Vo

CEP CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace and President Frances F. Townsend released a statement followinging the arrest of Kim Anh Vo by the FBI, which read: “CEP is grateful to all of the law enforcement agencies whose investigation led to the arrest of Ms. Vo this week. It is always shocking when Americans are charged with supporting terror organizations like ISIS. Ms. Vo’s alleged association with terrorists and direct violent threats against CEP are indefensible. America is safer today with Ms. Vo in custody. CEP will continue to cooperate with law enforcement and prosecutors in whatever way we can.”
11
Mar
Press Release

CEP Honors Victims of Madrid Train Bombings, Calls for Legislation to Prevent Future Attacks

CEP Executive Director David Ibsen issued a statement to mark the 15th European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism and the anniversary of the 2004 Madrid Train Bombings, which killed 193 people. The statement read in part: “The coordinated attacks in the Spanish capital 15 years ago today were the beginning of the wave of terror attacks which continues to blight Europe. As we remember the victims of that attack and whose lives have been claimed since then, we need to ensure that the security of European citizens remains paramount and is clearly reflected in any regulation being put forward."