According to some estimates, there are thousands of extremist web sites on the net, with countless web forums and blogs through which ‘online jihadists' and other extremists (for example, neo-Nazis) meet, communicate, and promote the use of terrorism and political violence.

Thus far, governments and law enforcement agencies have done little to stop the rise of ‘online radicalisation' - partly because there seem to be no good solutions. Blocking sites may be regarded as censorship, and there are doubts as to whether such ‘hard' approaches can ever be effective. Conversely, ‘soft' approaches (for example, creating web sites to promote tolerance and cultural understanding) take time until they deliver tangible results, and it is not clear how they would deter those determined to ‘seek out' extremist material.

How feasible are ‘hard' and ‘soft' approaches? What are the problems with each, and how could they be overcome? What are the most innovative solutions developed by entrepreneurs and grassroots initiatives?

The research will be carried out in 2008 and involve interviews and a series of stakeholder events, especially with internet innovators, entrepreneurs, grassroots initiatives, industry representatives, and officials.

Our conclusions will be presented to governments, the media and the industry, and be disseminated widely in web forums and on relevant blogs. If funding permits, we will set up a web site which will allow users to continue to refine the ideas presented in our report.

The project will be carried out jointly with the Community Security Trust.