October 2016
The Danish government has unveiled measures to combat radicalisation, including a “corps of digital voices of reason” to challenge extremist views on the Internet.
Part of the new plan is for the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) to form a “national alliance against online radicalisation”, including authorities and people from civil society, to which the new “voices of reason” project will be linked.
“A civil society-driven corps of digital voices of reason will be established,” the Ministry of Justice said on Tuesday during a presentation of the anti-radicalisation plans.
The corps would “systematically be present in social media and engage critically in relevant forums, take part in dialogue and challenge extremist views”, the ministry said.
A unit will be formed within PET to identify and remove extremist material from the Internet.
The government said it would also seek to introduce a filter against “violent extremist online material” modelled on the filter against child pornography used by the country’s major Internet service providers.
But experts said that such a filter could be circumvented easily by using a VPN connection.
“Those who are dedicated and really want to will always find a way around,” Justice Minister Soren Pind told public broadcaster DR, adding that the filter was aimed at young people who were easily influenced.
The new rules will also make it easier to prosecute those spreading extremist material online.
For full article: http://www.straitstimes.com/world/denmark-to-use-voices-of-reason-to-tackle-radicalisation
