Facebook introduces new initiative to combat extremism

When someone in the UK searches on Facebook for content related to organised hate or violent extremism, they will now be redirected to resources and support.

The social media company has announced the expansion of its flagship counterspeech initiative, The Redirect Initiative, into the UK, as well as Pakistan. Now when someone in either nation searches on Facebook using words associated with organised hate or violent extremism, the top search result will be a link to resources and support for how to leave violence and extremism behind.

In the UK the move is being introduced alongside Exit UK. Research shows that challenging violent, extremist views with positive counterspeech is one of the most effective ways to combat hate and extremism.

Nigel Bromage, Founder of Exit UK, said: “Working in partnership with technology companies like Meta will help ensure the safety and well-being of the public and those that might be vulnerable online. At Exit UK, we help people involved in the far-right leave, and we also support wider members of the community, many of whom feel they have no-one to talk to. We understand the importance of offering non-judgemental advice and support so that over time we can help people improve their critical thinking skills and develop positive counter narratives to challenge hate online.”

The Redirect Initiative is already available in Australia, USA, Germany and Indonesia. A study by Moonshot CVE, an organisation that works to counter extremism, found that the Redirect Initiative is successful at disrupting the connection between followers and the violent, extreme content they seek.