Counterterrorism and censorship online.
Preventing and countering violent extremism (CVE) has become a major issue on the international agenda in the past year. It prompted the UN Secretary General to launch a Plan of Action on Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) in December 2015 and put increased pressure on US technology firms to cooperate with the government in this latest iteration of the 'War on Terror'. The importance placed on countering extremism and radicalisation online coupled with the Apple vs FBI encryption debate over the responsibilities of technology companies will increasingly affect the open internet and the right to digital privacy.
Efforts to counter violent extremism by focusing on internet technology may have a detrimental impact on privacy and trust online.
The debates over encryption backdoors have brought private companies, not NGOs or civil society, to the forefront of the privacy debate.
Reorienting the CVE agenda away from online speech will be nearly impossible as NGO funding streams and CVE projects gain momentum.
