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Reporting terrorist material online

1 February 2010

We're providing members of the public with information about what they can do if they come across violent extremist, terrorist and hate content online.

The new webpage on Directgov (new window) will include a form for people to report suspected terror-related and violent extremist websites to the police.

The pilot scheme aims to make the internet a more hostile environment for terrorists and violent extremists who seek to exploit modern technology. If a website meets the threshold for illegal content, officers can exercise powers under section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2006 to take it down.

What can be reported?

Illegal terrorism content

Any information that is intended to be useful to terrorists is illegal, including:

  • bomb-making instructions
  • guides to making poisons
  • instructions on how to make weapons
  • guides to targets.

Illegal violent extremist content

Some violent extremist content is also illegal. This might include:

  • videos of beheadings with messages of ‘glorification’ or praise for the attackers
  • speeches or essays calling for racial or religious violence
  • messages intended to stir up hatred against any religious or ethnic group
  • chat forums with postings calling for people to commit acts of terrorism.

Illegal hate content

The content of a website is illegal when it threatens or harasses a person or a group of people because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity. That could be in words, pictures, videos, and even music.

Illegal hate content might include:

  • messages calling for racial or religious violence
  • web pages that show pictures, videos or descriptions of violence against people due to their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity
  • chat forums where people ask other people to commit hate crimes.

Statement from the Security Minister

Lord West said, ‘We want to protect people who may be vulnerable to violent extremist content and will seek to remove any unlawful material.

'This is also about empowering individuals to tell them how they can make a civic challenge against material that they find offensive, even if it is not illegal.

'The internet is not a lawless forum and should reflect the legal and accepted boundaries of society.'

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