European Union: European Commission announced new EU Internet Forum workstream on platform-based prevention of online radicalisation

On 26 February 2026, the European Commission announced the development of a new workstream within the EU Internet Forum (EUIF) to strengthen user support mechanisms and positive interventions aimed at preventing online radicalisation, as set out in the Communication “ProtectEU: Agenda to Prevent and Counter Terrorism' (COM(2026) 101 final). Launched in 2015, the EU Internet Forum is a voluntary public–private cooperation platform that brings together the ministries of EU Member States, law enforcement authorities, civil society organisations, and online service providers to address the misuse of the internet for terrorist and violent extremist purposes. Its activities include reducing the accessibility of terrorist content online, promoting alternative narratives, facilitating referrals of terrorist content through Europol’s EU Internet Referral Unit and supporting coordinated responses to terrorist attacks with an online dimension, including the development of the EU Crisis Protocol. The Forum has also addressed violent right-wing extremist content, child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking, and human trafficking online. It has also supported analytical work on the role of algorithms and emerging technologies, including generative AI, in disseminating extremist and harmful content. The new workstream will focus on strengthening preventive measures by enhancing user support tools and platform-based interventions within this cooperative framework.