Barcelona Workshop Recap

Tech Against Terrorism Europe (TATE) hosted a workshop at the European Institute of the Mediterranean on 12 – 13 March in Barcelona, Spain. This event brought together academics, experts, and tech platforms with the aim of exploring the complexities of countering terrorism in the digital sphere.

During the first day we explored regional perspectives on countering local and regional terrorist threats. Archie Macfarlane (Tech Against Terrorism) shared insights into current threats and trends in Spain, followed by Lluís Paradell (Mossos d’Esquadra), who emphasized the importance of addressing local threats head-on. Friederike Wegener of the (European Commission) outlined the implementation of the Terrorist Content Online (TCO) regulation, with a particular focus on the requirements it imposes on platforms. To conclude, our TATE colleagues, Paula Gomila Marques (Tech Against Terrorism) and Sophia Rothut (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich), presented Tech Against Terrorism Europe’s services and materials.

We discussed these issues in more depth on the second day. Aida Traidi Oliván (European Insitute of the Mediterranean) gave an illuminating presentation on the CONNEKT Project, which explores drivers of radicalization and violent extremism in MENA and the Balkans. Practical sessions followed, with Archie Macfarlane leading an exercise on identifying terrorist content online, and Maygane Janin (also of Tech Against Terrorism) providing guidance on transparency reporting.

The day wrapped up with a comparative analysis of the Digital Services Act (DSA) versus the TCO regulation, presented by Anna de Marchi and Friederike Wegener (European Commission).

We would like to thank all of those who joined the sessions and contributed their insights, and we would particularly like to thank our speakers. We would also like to extend our gratitude to Gemma Aubarell and the team at European Institute of the Mediterranean for their help with organising what proved to be an interesting and impactful workshop.