Insider Views Countering Terrorism the Facebook Way Gullnaz Baig shares with us how Facebook has developed technologies and engaged communities to deny terrorists the space to act. AF: Facebook is a pioneer and leader in social media. Could you give us an overview of Facebook’s presence in ASEAN? BAIG: Facebook has a global community of 2.2 billion people, with more people using Facebook in Asia-Pacific than in any other region. Our community here is vibrant, creative and connected, from Bangkok, which has more monthly Facebook users than any other city in the world, to Indonesia, where more Instagram stories are posted than any other country. AF: What steps are Facebook taking to combat terrorism and online radicalisation? BAIG: Our stance on this is clear – we do not allow terrorist individuals or organisations to have a presence on Facebook, as well as any content that praises, supports or represents terrorists and terrorist acts. Our goal is to make Facebook as hostile an environmenta as possible for terrorists. We invest in tools, technology and teams to achieve that goal, while working to strengthen the resilience of communities. We have systems which can recognise and surface content associated with terrorism. One such example is a tool that bank photos and videos containing terrorist propaganda so that if the same image or video is re-uploaded, it would be detected and removed. This has allowed us to make real progress. Earlier this year, our Community Standards Enforcement Report showed that our automation tools are extremely effective at recognising global terrorist content. In the first quarter of 2018, we removed 1.9 million ISIS and al-Qaeda related content, about twice as much from the previous quarter, 99% of which was detected before anyone reported it to us. To have a sustainable impact, we collaborate with communities to build resilience, both online and offline, so that they are less vulnerable to terrorist actors who prey on them. We work closely with community leaders to develop positive messages and compelling alternatives to extremist rhetoric. These include the Yayasan Prasasti Perdamaian (YPP), a Jakarta-based civil society organisation, and the Inter-Agency Aftercare Group in Singapore which in August conducted outreach to over 300 youth in Singapore on the threats of online radicalisation. Earlier this year, Facebook collaborated with the Lee Kuan Yew 20 — ISSUE 5 /2018 School of Public Public Policy on a Community Resiliency Workshop, drawing on the principles of the 2017 ASEAN Declaration on a Culture of Prevention for a Peaceful, Inclusive, Resilient, Healthy and Harmonious Society. Our partners understand the radical influences and tensions on the ground, and their insights help us make a real difference in defending communities from radicalisation. AF: The fact that Facebook has a counter-terrorism portfolio, which you lead for the Asia Pacific region, is a sign of its seriousness in combating terrorism. What does Facebook’s counter-terrorism team look like, and how do you work with law enforcement agencies in this area? BAIG: Technology cannot catch everything. Context and language are often complex, and algorithms cannot always distinguish praise from condemnation or satire from culturally-specific criticism. We need human knowledge and expertise to help us stay ahead of the evolving ways in which terrorists attempt to abuse Facebook. Therefore, we have grown our counter-terrorism team to over 200 people, comprising counter-terrorism experts, linguists, former prosecutors, former law enforcement agents and analysts, and engineers. Together we speak over 35 languages, and have a deep understanding of not just terrorism but also of the local and regional contexts in which our adversaries operate. We also have partnerships with several organisations that have expertise in global terrorism or cyber intelligence to help us in our efforts. These partners, such as the SITE Intelligence Group, flag pages, profiles and groups on Facebook potentially associated with terrorist groups for us to review. We are further supported by over 10,000 reviewers who help us review content that violates our terrorism policies. We also work closely with law enforcement across ASEAN member states and across the world, and have a global team that responds to emergency requests. We have people working 24/7, ready to alert authorities when we see evidence of a threat of imminent harm or a terror attack. Over the past year, we have provided support to authorities around the world that are responding to the threat of terrorism, including in cases where law enforcement has been able to disrupt attacks and prevent harm. AF: Terrorist groups are turning to encrypted applications and smaller technological platforms for radicalisation and cyber-terrorism. How is Facebook addressing this development?