I have just printed my PhD thesis for submission to the University of Cambridge. The title is 'Militant Islamist radicalisation: does the Internet atomise?'. The following is a summary of the thesis extracted from part of the summary. In a nutshell, I was exploring how ideas traverse the Internet. The State is feeling the first … Continue reading PhD thesis summary
Tag: internet censorship
Internet is Fecund but Hazardous (PhD –> the gyst)
The new book, A History of the Internet and the Digital Future, is due in September 010. While I’m waiting for that I’ve been wrapping up my PhD work. And I think I now have answers – at least, almost final answers. Or at least some pre-almost-final answers. Since 2005 various Governments of EU Member … Continue reading Internet is Fecund but Hazardous (PhD –> the gyst)
Violent radical content on the Internet – first outputs of IIEA study
As part of the IIEA study on non-legislative measures to prevent the dissemination of violent radical material on the Internet for the European Commission, the following outputs were released in December 2009: Request For Comments document: An initial overview of the legal environment regulating child abuse, hatred and racism, copyright infringement, and terrorist content on … Continue reading Violent radical content on the Internet – first outputs of IIEA study
Speech at European Commission public private dialogue.
I spoke at the European Commission Public Private Dialogue to fight online illegal activities, Brussels, 27 November 2009. My talk below... Text of statement by Johnny Ryan, Senior Researcher, Institute of International & European Affairs, at the European Commission Public Private Dialogue to fight online illegal activities, Brussels, 27 November 2009.. Preliminary remarks: It is … Continue reading Speech at European Commission public private dialogue.
Measures to prevent the spread of violent material on the Net across the EU?
The IIEA and the European Commission have just signed a contract to begin a study on non-legislative measures that might prevent the spread of violent radical content on the Internet. Our job is to examine the measures currently in practice, determine whether any are appropriate and functional, and whether these would work if applied across … Continue reading Measures to prevent the spread of violent material on the Net across the EU?
European Commission’s official impact assessment rules out Internet censorship – and cites my study
The European Commission's impact assessment on Vice President Frattini's Internet censorship proposals was made public on 6 November 2007. My book was cited (10 citations of 112 total) in the report, which happily concluded that censorship was not a practical response to violent radicalisation on the Internet. This is a major event in the debate … Continue reading European Commission’s official impact assessment rules out Internet censorship – and cites my study
The militant Islamist call and its echo
Published on openDemocracy (http://opendemocracy.net/article/democracy_terror/islamism_web) On the internet, in gymnasiums, bookshops and video-clubs, recruitment propaganda is viewed by and debated among prospective Islamist militants. This wide-ranging material contains four recurrent themes; understanding them is the first step to forming an effective counter-narrative to dissuade the next generation of would-be militants from embracing violence, and channelling their … Continue reading The militant Islamist call and its echo
EU should not attempt to censor the ‘Net
I was interviewed about this on RTE's Prime Time TV programme, 5 July 2007. Adrian Lydon's report, and my contribution to it, are available here. See also my letter to The Times (London), published on 6 July 2007. See EU JHA Commissioner Frattini's remarks on a proposal to censor bomb-making material on the Internet, as … Continue reading EU should not attempt to censor the ‘Net
Europe’s World article: security & defence dossier “EU must take its anti-terrorism fight to the Internet”
DOSSIER SECURITY AND DEFENCE: EU must take its anti-terrorism fight to the Internet by Johnny Ryan [profile] See article on Europe's World website. Johnny Ryan leads the radicalisation & recruitment project at the Institute of European Affairs, an Irish policy think-tank. Militant Islamist radicalisation and recruitment on the Internet is a strategic problem. In the … Continue reading Europe’s World article: security & defence dossier “EU must take its anti-terrorism fight to the Internet”