The Home Office has emphasised the importance of investments in data and digital technology to combat terrorism.
It is part of the department’s newly published CONTEST strategy, which includes an acknowledgement of how technology can be exploited by terrorists but also how it can be used in response to the threats.
It says the Home Office will work with partners including the Ministry of Defence and HM Prisons and Probation Service to bring together teams, data and technology to delivery counter-terrorism operations in the UK and overseas.
This will involve making use of a range of tools and interventions to enable a more agile and flexible response to threats.
“We will invest in data, analysis and technology capabilities, building on and creating new partnerships to accelerate their enhancement, to ensure early detection of terrorism threats to the UK and our interests overseas,” the document says.
“This will enable rigorous prioritisation of our resources against the most significant threats to the UK and ensure that we are alert to emerging threats as they develop. As part of this, we will improve the way data is obtained and analysed by forming cutting edge partnerships and valuing the input of other experts such as data scientists and engineers.”
Glorification, encryption, anonymisation
Among the threats are that terrorists can glorify their attacks through multiple online services, use end-to-end encryption and anonymisation tools to communicate with each other, and use cryptocurrency to finance attacks. They could also use AI to make their activity more sophisticated with less effort.
But national security forces can use cutting edge techniques to make the response more efficient and effective. Examples include using technology including AI and virtual reality to improve testing and exercising programmes, continuously assessing threats to national security, and sharing data within the Counter-Terrorism Operations Centre.
There will also be efforts to cohere data initiatives across operational partners to maximise their value, to keep up with the potential from data sources related to digital communications, and to enhance the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre’s data analysis capabilities.
Writing in the report’s foreword, Home Secretary Suella Braverman MP said: “Through this updated strategy we will place greater focus on using all the levers of the state to identify and intervene against terrorists; we will build critical partnerships with the private sector and international allies to keep the public safe; and we will harness the opportunities presented by new technology.”
