News and Media

Press Releases

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."
6
Mar
Press Release

ICYMI: “Facebook, YouTube and social media are failing society. Pull their ads until they change.”

CEP Senior Advisor Dr. Hany Farid, the world’s leading authority on digital forensics and hashing technology, argued in an op-ed published in USA Today on March 4 that it was time for the corporate CEO’s whose advertising dollars propel social media platforms to demand industry reforms. “Social media companies have failed us. How do we fix an industry that has proven that it is unwilling or unable to govern itself?" the op-ed read in part.
6
Mar
Press Release

CEP German Language Report Calculates the Costs of Extremism

In the German language report Die Kosten des Extemismus (Costs of Extremism) , the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), in partnership with the Brandenburg Institute for Society and Security (BIGS), tackles the complex task of defining violent extremism and evaluating its impact on society. Notably, the report establishes the first of its kind economic model and mathematical formula for calculating the true costs of violent extremist and terrorist incidents.
27
Feb
Press Release

CEP Commends U.K. Government for Proposed Ban on Hezbollah in its Entirety

CEP President Frances F. Townsend released a statement today commending the U.K. government for proposing that Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah be banned in its entirety. Previously, like most of Europe, the U.K. had banned only the so-called military wing of the group.
26
Feb
Press Release

Freenom Stops Providing Online Services to Pro-ISIS Website After CEP Conveys Concerns

CEP Executive Director David Ibsen today released a statement commending Netherlands-based Freenom, an online domain name provider, for taking down a pro-ISIS website following CEP’s alerting the company about the site's proliferation of terror propaganda. “CEP commends Freenom for taking appropriate action in enforcing its terms of service once alerted to their provision of services to an extremist website, ” the statement read in part.
25
Feb
Press Release

Extremist Content Online: Telegram Used by ISIS to Spread Propaganda Globally

CEP reports weekly on the methods used by extremists to exploit the Internet and social media platforms to recruit followers and incite violence. This week’s edition reveals a Telegram channel that called for lone actor terrorist attacks in London, alongside other online websites that host ISIS videos and propaganda online.
23
Feb
Press Release

YouTube Child Exploitation Scandal Shows Once Again That Big Tech Only Acts Following Controversy

CEP Executive Director David Ibsen released a statement after Google-owned YouTube was found to be facilitating pedophiles’ ability to connect and share content harmful to children. Since the incident, major companies like Disney, Nestle, Epic Games and others have pulled their advertising dollars from the platform, forcing YouTube to address the controversy.
19
Feb
Press Release

Extremist Content Online: ISIS Videos Continue to be Uploaded to the Internet In 2019

CEP reports on the methods used by extremists to exploit the Internet and social media platforms to recruit followers and incite violence. Today’s edition exposes ISIS videos demonstrating executions, explosives construction and violent propaganda hosted across platforms from Google Blogger, Telegram, Streamable , the Japanese site Nico Video, and file upload sites.
15
Feb
Press Release

CEP Statement: WordPress Removes Neo-Nazi Website After CEP Publishes Findings

CEP Executive Director David Ibsen released the following statement today after a website from the white supremacist group Feuerkrieg Division (FKD) was taken offline by website management and blogging platform WordPress. The removal comes on the heels of a CEP report and letter addressed to WordPress that found FKD had been using a WordPress-hosted website for recruitment and propaganda purposes. FKD acknowledged CEP’s role in provoking WordPress action on its Gab account.