ProtectEU: Brussels' Digital Armament Against Terrorism

Contents

On Thursday, the EU Commission presented the ProtectEU agenda, a package of measures intended to fundamentally modernize the European security architecture. At its core is the recognition that the line between the physical and digital worlds is increasingly blurring in the context of terrorist activities. While the number of classic large-scale attacks has decreased, the Commission states that the EU is facing a new quality of threat, with small groups and lone actors radicalizing themselves in closed forums, using artificial intelligence (AI) for planning, and financing themselves through anonymous digital channels.

A key focus of the new strategy is therefore the monitoring and combating of illegal content online. To this end, the Commission is relying on the synergy between the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Terrorist Content Online Regulation.

The goal is to drastically reduce the spread of propaganda and recruitment videos through automated processes. This includes, for example, increased cooperation with online service providers within the framework of the EU Internet Forum. Furthermore, the existing crisis protocol is to be transformed into a comprehensive online response framework to enable faster and more coordinated communication between authorities and platforms in acute threat situations.

Algorithms & Co: The Technological Front

The technical armament of perpetrators has long been a cause for concern for security authorities. The agenda mentions the misuse of 3D printing technology for the production of firearms and the use of drones. To maintain an advantage for state services, security research is to be expanded within programs such as Horizon Europe. The Commission is focusing on early detection and defense against such technological threats.

The authors consider the role of AI to be ambivalent: on the one hand, it serves as a tool for terrorist actors, but on the other hand, it is intended to be used for pattern recognition and threat analysis through increased investment in European analytical capacity.

Another area is the radicalization of minors via social media and gaming platforms. The EU Commission is responding with a new program for digital resilience and the establishment of Knowledge Hubs to counteract the targeted manipulation of young people online. This includes, for example, the deletion of content, but also the strengthening of critical media literacy and the promotion of social cohesion in digital spaces. To this end, the Commission intends to allocate millions of euros.

Transparent Financial Flows and Crypto Wars

To disrupt the logistical base of terror, financial flows are coming under greater scrutiny by investigators. According to the agenda, these are increasingly being processed via cryptocurrencies and modern online payment systems. A planned European system for accessing financial data is intended to ensure that money flows can be tracked more quickly in the future and that the financing of extremist cells can be nipped in the bud. In parallel, the mandates of Europol and Eurojust are to be strengthened to more effectively support member states in analyzing mass data and conducting cross-border digital forensics.

The EU is also increasingly relying on digital solutions and expanding data collection at its borders. For example, the Commission is considering extending the system for exchanging passenger name record (PNR) data to private flights as well as to sea and land transport. At the same time, the exchange of information on hits in the Schengen Information System is to be automated and intensified. By implementing a roadmap for the highly controversial “lawful access to data” in plain text, the Commission aims to ensure that law enforcement agencies receive necessary information promptly, despite encryption and complex network structures.

Global Cooperation in a Connected World

Since digital threats do not stop at the EU's external borders, the agenda provides for an expansion of international cooperation with strategic partners. This includes improved data exchange between Europol and third countries, as well as closer integration of partner regions such as the Western Balkans and the Mediterranean region into European early warning systems. According to the Commission, only through a globally networked security structure that operates technologically on par with the actors can resilience against the constantly changing methods of modern extremism be sustainably increased.

ProtectEU thus marks an attempt to further upgrade European security policy through the use of modern technologies. It will be particularly challenging to reconcile this approach with European fundamental rights and data protection.

(mho)