The Europol European Center for Counter-Terrorism (ECTC) held its first High-Level Conference on Terrorist Propaganda.

The terrorist threat through the Internet is a serious issue that worries on a global scale as demonstrated by the participants in the conference. It has been shown that terrorist groups such as the so-called Islamic State (IS) owe much of their internet strategy.

That is why one of the fundamental objectives of the European Union is the fight against this type of terrorism whose virtual footprint will remain in the networks for a long time. To this end, according to experts, it is necessary to act in a coordinated and systematic manner with law enforcement, public institutions and the private sector. For this reason, a Consultative Group was set up in 2016 to take advantage of the expertise and technological know-how of academics and professionals to respond quickly to the progress of terrorist groups in this field.

Now the results of this collaboration have been presented where Big Data plays a prominent role and the mapping of the terrorist networks, as well as the knowledge of the tactics and communication of the terrorists. It has been a very productive meeting for all of us.