Mayor Sadiq Khan launches new app to combat terrorist content online

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has launched a new smartphone app today, making it easier for people to report terrorist content online.

The iREPORTit app has been funded by City Hall and created in partnership with the Met’s Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU).

It will enable Londoners and people across the country to report terrorist content online quickly, easily and anonymously to the police using their smartphone.

This follows a recent finding that 81 per cent of all Londoners do not know how to get online extremist material taken down from popular internet search engines.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “We know terrorists and extremists are set on exploiting the uncertainty of the pandemic for their own gain.

“With more people than ever at home online for longer periods, often in isolated environments, I’m determined to do everything I can to counter that threat and help keep Londoners safe.

“Working closely with the national Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit, I have funded the iREPORTit app to bridge the gap between someone seeing extremism online and being able to report it quickly and anonymously from their mobile phone.

“We know terrorism does not recognise borders so this app will be available to all Londoners and everyone across the UK.

“However, we urgently need the Government and tech firms to step up and do more now to prevent the rapid spread of terrorist and extremism material online.

“Insidious voices are growing louder online and we must all work together to counter hate, intolerance, extremism and terrorism.”

The Mayor’s funding of the mobile app, which will initially run as a three-month pilot, is on top of the £6m already invested in supporting victims and tackling all forms of hate.

It is also the latest phase of his Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) programme which has already invested £800,000 in more than 30 civil society-led projects across the capital.

The new app is free to download now on Android and Apple devices and allows users to flag any terrorist content online or on social media in three quick steps.

Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, who leads the Met’s Sepcialist Operations Command and is Head of Counter Terrorism Policing across the UK said: “Every time a member of public sends the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit a link to material which is terrorist or extremist in nature, they are helping police in the international fight against terrorism.

“So I welcome this new app which offers the public another way to report material, in addition to the existing reporting tools.

“Specialist officers are ready and waiting to look at each and every single referral sent via the app.

“Where material breaches UK terrorism legislation, they will seek its removal, even if the website host is based in another country, because every piece that is removed from the Internet is no longer out in the ether, potentially radicalising vulnerable people and encouraging them to cause serious harm to others.”

If you have seen material online which you are concerned could be terrorist or extremist, you can also report it at www.gov.uk/act