4 Policy Brief No. 45 Toda Peace Institute extremism. Redirect Method identifies pre-existing videos that could sway violent extremists, and then puts those videos in front of people who search Google for keywords that lead to extremist content. In other words, it attempts to redirect users to credible voices whose videos challenge the arguments of violent extremists. The methodology Jigsaw developed was eventually adopted by Google. A startup called Moonshot CVE then partnered with Google and is deploying Redirect with independent funding. This 2018 case study from RAND Corporation puts Redirect Method in context of other digital efforts to oppose violent extremism, including ISDs. The most important takeaway from the RAND case study is that many peacebuilding initiatives on social media measure their impact largely (or solely) by counting the number of people who saw and/or reacted to the posts, tweets, videos, etc., and that more in-depth evaluation measures are needed. For Redirect Method specifically, the case study offers suggestions for more in-depth evaluation strategies, like administering surveys to extremists exposed to Redirect Method to see if they are less radicalised as a result. Many Redirect Method efforts seem to perform well when measured by social media reactions, but it is hard to know what those reactions translate into off the internet. 4. Other Relevant Efforts There is quite a bit of relevant work happening among well-regarded researchers and nonprofits. Most of these efforts are not specifically about depolarisation or peacebuilding, but here is a sample of relevant stuff: • The Electronic Frontier Foundation has advocated for privacy and free speech on the Internet since its founding in 1990. In the context of peacebuilding, the EFF offers an excellent blog post about non-censoring approaches to these problems, “Private Censorship Is Not the Best Way to Fight Hate or Defend Democracy: Here Are Some Better Ideas,” by Corynne McSherry, Jillian C. York, and Cindy Cohn. They make critically important points about power and privilege — how and why we must preserve free speech as we design interventions. • Another organisation in the space is Data & Society, which creates reports about the dynamics of different digital media platforms. Their 2018 white paper “The Oxygen of Amplification: Better Practices for Reporting on Extremists, Antagonists, and Manipulators,” by Whitney Phillips, reviews the digital influence landscape and offers tips to journalists and other thought leaders reporting on extremism, in order to give minimal support to extremism via exposure. • Julia Kamin and J. Nathan Matias oversee research at the US nonprofit CivilServant, which “works directly with online communities to test ideas in moderation and evaluate the impact of the tech industry in our social lives.” Explore their research here.