Policy Brief No. 20 Policy Brief No. 45 APLN/CNND1 July 2019 Polarisation and Peacebuilding Strategy on Digital Media Platforms: Current Strategies and their Discontents Lydia Laurenson Abstract This is the second of two policy briefs on polarisation. The first policy brief, “Polarisation and Peacebuilding Strategy on Digital Media Platforms: The Current Research,” reviewed the research, and concluded by recommending directions for future research. This brief describes interventions: (a) interventions currently being attempted by NGOs and other peacebuilders using digital platforms as their medium, and (b) interventions that the platforms themselves have tested and/or put into action. The conclusion of this brief sorts interventions into categories, and provides recommendations for digital media platforms. Author Note: Any opinions, biases, and/or mistakes in this policy brief are my own. I would also like to credit some of the people I spoke to, in alphabetical order: Zahed Amanullah of the Institute on Strategic Dialogue; Alisha Bhagat of Forum for the Future; Kelly Born of the Hewlett Foundation; George Davis; Renee DiResta; Shauna Gordon-McKeon, independent researcher; Helena Puig Larrauri of Build Up; Rachel Lazerus, independent researcher; An Xiao Mina; Jonathan Stray of Columbia University; Aviv Ovadya; and others who asked not to be named. Interventions by Independent Organisations Operating on top of Digital Platforms Many organisations and individuals are working on digital peacebuilding, while a larger number explore broad societal impacts of digital media and the research questions identified in the first brief. This policy brief focuses on peacebuilding — but “peacebuilding” touches on larger concerns. In the second part of this brief, the overview of recent platform changes takes a broader societal perspective. Two of the initiatives below are working specifically on “violent extremism” (though not all of them are). In that context, it is worth noting that many Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) programmes have attracted criticism for racism and suppression of free speech. The