UNODC's Terrorism Prevention Branch delivered a regional training for South-East Asian countries on countering the use of the Internet and social media by young adults for terrorist recruitment and propaganda in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on 17-19 September 2019. The event was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Home Affairs of Malaysia and was funded by the Government of Japan.
The three-day event brought together representatives from South-East Asia, namely Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. During the workshop, participants addressed several topics including the misuse of cyberspace by young adults for terrorist purposes; preventive criminal justice approaches; the use of open source investigation techniques; the collection of digital evidence; as well as the use of the Internet for investigation purposes including the dark web.
During the event, special emphasis was placed on tools and techniques for investigating social network profiles and data while also highlighting the importance of preserving and retaining evidence. Participants engaged in several practical table top exercises and group discussions, including on open source and dark web investigations, voluntary disclosure, and emergency and mutual legal assistance requests.
Participants were encouraged to share national experiences, challenges and good practices in addressing the misuse of the Internet for terrorist purposes and investigative techniques, with a view to, inter alia, promote effective networks and partnerships between regional criminal justice authorities.
The event was opened by Mr. Shamril Faizalis, Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs of Malaysia, and Mr. Tetsuya Itani, the Head of the Political Section from the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia.