New Europol unit to hunt down Islamic State online
New European team will track down the people behind Islamic State's social media campaigns

A newly created Europe-wide police force will track and block social media accounts found to be disseminating Islamic State propaganda and recruitment information online.
The European police agency Europol announced that it will work with several unnamed social media companies to help combat the spread of Islamic State's online campaigns by closing accounts linked with the militant group. The team will also attempt to track down the people behind the dissemination of IS information.
Some estimates suggest that 100,000 tweets a day are circulated from 45,000 to 50,000 accounts associated with the group, which controls territory across Iraq and Syria, The Guardian reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Brookings institute in Washington suggests that the number of IS-linked accounts could be even higher, possibly around 90,000, the BBC reports.
Europol's director, Rob Wainwright, told the Guardian that the new unit would try to prevent IS from targeting young people. He said they would investigate questions such as: "Who is it reaching out to young people, in particular, by social media, to get them to come, in the first place?"
He added that tracking them down was difficult "because of the dynamic nature of social media", but pledged to "identify the ringleaders online" and bring them to justice.
Since 2013, 700 British people are believed to have travelled to territory controlled by IS in Syria and Iraq. The group is also known to have attracted volunteers from other European countries including Belgium, France and Holland.
Wainwright says that the group tends to attract "disaffected" youths from teenage gangs in Europe who see IS as a "bigger gang in Syria".
British home secretary, Theresa May, said that Britain must support the EU in the fight against IS. She said the threat was a common one across Europe, "and if we are to defeat it, we need to work together".
May added: "We have also supported the EU in setting up an internet-referral unit at Europol to address the increasing amount of terrorist and extremist propaganda available on the internet, and I am pleased to say the UK will be seconding a police officer to this unit."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
6 elegant Queen Anne Victorian homes
Feature Featuring original diamond-glass doors in New York and a registered historic landmark in Arkansas
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Is the pro-Assad insurgency a threat to the new Syria?
Today's Big Question Interim leader accuses regime loyalists and 'foreign backers' of trying to 'divide and destroy' the country
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos